Senior students return to Mt Albert Grammar School for the first time in two months. Photo / Michael Craig
Senior students return to Mt Albert Grammar School for the first time in two months. Photo / Michael Craig
Schools are grappling with new challenges as they work to reopen to seniors this week, with delays in testing forcing one Waikato high school to shut its gates.
All teachers must return a one-off negative test before coming back to school in level 3, while those who aren't vaccinated must get tested weekly.
But on Monday, with more than a dozen tests still outstanding, Hillcrest High School in Hamilton made the call not to reopen.
Principal Kelvin Whiting said it appeared the high numbers of school staff getting tests had clogged up the system, with Labour weekend adding to delays.
One teacher was tested last Thursday but only got a negative result today, Whiting said.
Hillcrest High School principal Kelvin Whiting says with around a dozen teachers' tests still not returned today it made sense to keep learning online. Photo / Belinda Feek
Hillcrest is in an alert level 3 area but has some staff and students in level 2. They are waiting till Thursday to reopen - which will also allow for any possible alert level changes that could be announced on Wednesday.
"We've got a really good online learning platform. You can't beat face to face, I totally get that - we'd rather have kids back in school," Whiting said.
But he said it seemed "silly" to reopen with some relief teachers supervising classes while the teacher taught them online from home.
Meanwhile Morrinsville College has enforced a rule that all students and staff in level 3 areas must get weekly negative tests before coming to school.
The high school is in a level 2 part of the Waikato but has 33 staff and 44 students in level 3 areas, according to its Monday newsletter.
Three teachers living in the Delta hotspots of Raglan and Te Awamutu have been asked to stay home until those areas are no longer of concern.
Principal John Inger told the Herald he was still working with the Ministry of Education to get clarity about the testing of staff and students in their "unusual situation".
Health and safety was the board's paramount concern, he said. Boards were advised by the ministry but ultimately had to do what they believed was right for their own school and community, after consulting with those affected, he said.
John Inger, principal at Morrinsville College which is requiring all staff and students in level 3 areas to get a weekly negative test before coming to school. Photo / Supplied
"We have a low vaccination rate in our community for our local younger Māori and we do not want to jeopardise their safety, and the safety of their older whānau, until that vaccination rate climbs, so it is important that our school's safety plan has a strong chance of minimising the possibility of Covid coming into our community via our school."
He didn't expect the board would back down on the testing requirement but they would consider any further advice from the ministry.
Alistair Luke, chairman of the Central North Island Secondary Principals' Association, said the association's members were facing a number of logistical challenges in trying to operate their schools safety.
That was especially if they were close to a level 3 boundary and had significant numbers of staff living on the other side.
He hadn't heard of other schools still waiting for test results, but knew many had issues getting their staff from across alert level boundaries.
Others were dealing with boarders who were coming from level 2 into level 3 areas - but would likely not be allowed home to their families until the end of the year.
Meanwhile in Auckland, schools saw a wide range of attendance levels today.
At Macleans College about 90 per cent of Year 11s were back, with Year 12 and 13 staying home as they are doing online exams.
Principal Steve Hargreaves said students were pleased to be back and coping well with health requirements.
But Hargreaves - who is president of the Auckland Secondary School Principals' Association - had heard from colleagues who had anything from 30 per cent attendance to more than 90 per cent.
Papatoetoe High School principal Vaughan Couillault told RNZ more than half his seniors turned up for the first day back, which was similar to previous lockdowns.
Some schools like Takapuna Grammar and Manurewa High chose to stay closed this week - and Waiuku College joined their ranks today after a case popped up in the town.
In a Facebook post the school said its board and senior leaders had decided to stay shut for the rest of the week due to the positive case in Waiuku.
Another local school, Onewhero Area School, was also closed for all on-site learning as a precautionary measure and would stay closed for two days.
