On 28 July 2021 the Premier announced that the NSW Government intends to vary current restrictions to include a return of Year 12 students to schools within the Greater Sydney Region LGA’s on 16 August 2021.

The PSA urgently sought a briefing from the Department of Education and met with senior Industrial Relations and Education COVID Taskforce staff on 29 July 2021.  We were provided with an initial briefing on their current work with NSW Health to establish the parameters around the return of Year 12 students to schools.

This includes making priority vaccinations available to students and staff within the 8 Hotspot LGAs as well as providing Rapid Antigen tests to year 12 students.

The PSA raised a number of issues communicated to the union by members, in both regional and Greater Sydney locations, following the Government’s announcement. These changes could impact all classifications from General Assistants, SAS Staff, Student Support Officers, School Psychologists, Community Liaison Officers and the numerous other support staff in schools.

Obviously the Government’s failure to consult with Unions is a concern to members who are alarmed at the rush to implement this proposal with little detail.

The PSA has now secured weekly updates from the Department on all elements of the Department’s COVID response and has been made a promise of ongoing consultation where our members are affected.

We will continue to advocate for our members and keep you informed of how this process progresses and the outcomes achieved.

Specific concerns raised include –

• How will the proposed testing and vaccination program operate, who will be required to test, and how, when and where will the tests be administered.
• That school support staff are extremely concerned that they will be burdened with some or all of these functions.
• Through the Australian Government Health website , the Public Health Laboratory Network (PHLN) and Communicable Diseases Australia (CDNA) recommend that only a Medical Practitioner or suitably qualified persons should perform or supervise the use of rapid antigen tests.
• Details and timeline for prioritisation of vaccination for staff within the Fairfield, Liverpool, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Parramatta, Blacktown, Campbelltown and Georges River LGAs.
• Timeline for making the operational details of this return of Year 12 Students proposal available to Unions and their members.

The PSA also requested clear messaging as to the ongoing COVID restrictions for all PSA schools members and their communities.

The PSA continue to advocate for all PSA members

The PSA will be meeting with DoE senior staff weekly to continue consultation. Wherever you are in NSW, the PSA will actively advocate for the issues you are facing including increased workload due to COVID, WHS and COVID safety as well as the return of year 12 students in Greater Sydney.

If you have concerns you can contact your Delegate or Organiser to arrange a virtual meeting at your school. Once the PSA has been provided with the requested information a further bulletin will go to members.

For ongoing individual support for PSA members please contact the Member Support Centre on 1300 772 679.

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