Dear Parents,
Your many positive comments about our staff and the work happening in our schools mean a lot to us all. I think it is fair to say that the determination, perseverance, creativity and ingenuity that staff have shown in motivating students and inspiring learning during these, the most challenging of times have just been incredible.
The move to bring more students into school after Chinese New Year, and in doing so, increase the time in school for your children, was a positive step in the right direction. Thank you for your support in helping to make this work so well. I appreciate that we are all living in the most challenging of circumstances against the backdrop of a continuously changing context and the most dynamic of conditions. I would guess that, like me, you look forward to a period when things feel more settled and predictability is a norm, not a memory.
One thing is clear. We all share a common desire to have all of our students, your children, safely back in the classroom every day. To this end, I have been working with principals to plan the next steps that will allow us to do just that.
You may well be aware that in order to bring all of our students back into school for half days, from Monday to Friday, depends on us having in place regular COVID-19 testing for all staff. We believe that it is a reasonable request to ask staff to take part in this testing in order to enable us to get all of our students back. I have been consulting closely with the principals and the Senior Management Team (SMT) to consider how we can best achieve this, to give all parties confidence as we increase our in-school offer for your children.
Working together, the principals and SMT now have arrangements in place for taking the next step forward. Starting from next week, we will commence COVID-19 testing of approximately 3,000 members of staff from across our 22 schools. I am sure that you will appreciate the considerable logistical planning and discussion that has gone into securing the plan, along with ongoing work to gain approval from the Education Bureau (EDB).
For most schools the current arrangements will continue for a week or so, until the first cycle of COVID-19 testing is done and EDB has approved the plan. Your school principal will update you on the specific details for your child’s school via the ESF App.
As always, our schools will remain vigilant in adhering to all of the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) health and safety guidelines, including regular cleaning, mask wearing and social distancing. The protocols used by CHP for determining close contacts and the need for compulsory testing or quarantine measures remain, as does the possibility of closing down a school for 14 days for disinfection in the event that a school has positive cases.
Your support in submitting daily temperature checks and keeping your child at home if they are unwell, plays a critical role in increasing our chances of keeping schools open.
We all look forward to getting your children back into school every day in the coming weeks.
Belinda Greer
Chief Executive Officer
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR PARENTS -
100% COVID-19 Testing of School Staff
1. Will all school staff be tested?
Yes, according to the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) guidelines, all school staff have to be tested to allow the return of 100% of students. This includes teaching staff, cleaners, administrative staff and anyone else working on the school premises.
2. How soon can my child come to school every day?
We are moving forward with testing immediately and are hoping to have 100% of students at school within the next three weeks. However, the Education Bureau (EDB) will also need to approve the resumption of 100% of students at schools before we can resume full student numbers.
3. If a teacher tests positive, will my child be tested or quarantined?
CHP will determine close contacts through their track and trace protocols. If mask wearing and other social distancing measures have been maintained, it is less likely that the students will be considered to be a close contact and require testing or quarantine.
4. What if someone else at school tests positive?
Should there be a positive case found at school, we will update you on actions taken and the impact on the school operations. According to the latest protocol of the CHP, compulsory testing for students is not (yet) applied across all schools. If one or more positive cases have occurred in a school, all students and staff will be subjected to compulsory testing and the school may be required to close for a period of time.
5. What happens if the school is closed?
We will resume online learning for all students if a school is closed for disinfection and deep cleaning purposes.
6. Who pays for the school staff tests?
ESF is paying for all staff testing and arranging it on-site for minimal disruption to teaching.
7. What if a staff member refuses to be tested?
We are committed to having all of our students back at school and will work with our staff to achieve that. Our goal is to enable 100% of our students to return to school. We believe that the majority are supportive of taking part in the testing process to achieve that. ESF will work with staff who need support.
8. What if I don’t want my child to go to school?
Should you decide to keep your child at home, you will need to speak with your child’s teacher(s) to understand the options available.
9. Why didn’t ESF start this testing before now?
ESF has always maximised face-to-face interaction for students within the current health and safety guidelines. Immediately after Chinese New Year, we focused on bringing back one-third of our students back. We were cautious of a possible increase in cases following the Chinese New Year break, so we took the time to evaluate the situation before moving forward with the testing.
10. Who do I contact if I have questions?
Please contact our Engagement Manager, Mark Garcia, with any follow-up questions.
mark.garcia@esfcentre.edu.hk.