Laurence Dollimore
BRITISH parents are ‘extremely worried’ after their children’s school claimed it has not been equipped with the necessary cleaning staff or equipment to fully cope with re-opening during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The IES Las Viñas school, in Manilva, released a statement this week saying it has ‘many doubts’ over how it will face this ‘complicated term.’
In a concerning missive, the school said it wanted to publicise ‘what it can and can’t’ guarantee when it comes to adopting the health measures laid out by the Government.
For example, while the school has put in place hand sanitising gel, new soap dispensers and a hand-washing campaign, it said the Junta de Andalucia has failed to provide enough cleaning staff.
“The limited cleaning staff provided cannot guarantee the daily disinfection/cleaning of the most used areas,” the school said.
It added that with classes of up to 38 children, ‘it is not possible for us to guarantee the minimum safety distance, so students must wear a mask during the entire school day.’
The school also admitted it would be unable to create ‘classroom bubbles’, which mean select groups of students do not interact with one another or share spaces to lower the risk of contagion.
“The school has made it so that the desks are shared by the smallest number of students, although it is not possible to clean all the classrooms each time they are used by a different group,” it said.
British expat Mark Naylor, whose daughter attends the school and who runs its noticeboard, said many parents will not be sending their kids in.
“There are a lot of parents worried, it’s very concerning,” Naylor, 52, told the Olive Press.
“The general feeling is the school will close in the first week so most parents are planning to avoid sending their kids, however the threat of fines or jail is a worry.”
It comes after the government said the attendance of school was mandatory and that any region wanting to close education centres by decree would need permission from Madrid.
“The teachers are unhappy about the lack of preparation, considering Manilva police have just purchased a 4×4 buggy to patrol beaches and issue fines for non-compliance to COVID-19 regulations,” added Naylor, from Wolverhampton.
“The money spent on the buggy could have paid for specialist cleaning or just routine cleaning, handing out fines seems to take priority over kids’ safety and the school guidelines are not being supported by government funds.”
Another parent told this paper: “I can’t believe our kids are having to go to school and risk catching a deadly virus.
“How can we rest easy when the school itself has just told us it is not ready?! It’s absolutely terrifying and absurd.”
The Olive Press has contacted the Junta de Andalucia for comment.
Does your child attend this school or do you have concerns about sending them back to school in general in September? Contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es
