Schools have been reopened for about two weeks now, and since then, a small percentage of teachers and students have contracted COVID 19. Whether they got it while being at school is uncertain but according to the BNTU president, the teachers are concerned that some schools don't have the necessary sanitization supplies to keep the staff and students safe. She said they've already asked the Chief Education Officer to meet with them.
Reporter
"What's been the feedback from teachers, do they feel safe and comfortable at school?"
Elena Smith, President, BNTU
"Not quite, we have some of our teachers who have tested positive and unfortunately for some we cant tell where you catch the virus from, but we know there have been some cases where we have our teachers that are out now. It's becoming concerning because we are seeing more and more teachers are being infected and our teachers want to ensure that they are really and truly protected, that we are heading back to school, because we want the best for our students, but in doing so we are in danger and who will protect us and where we will get that support from when our teachers get infected and so those are concerns coming to us right now that we have to discuss with the ministry to see how we will address the increasing number of cases within our schools, especially seeing that most of our schools are not fully face to face, so they are coming in some students on certain days and we are still seeing this happening and we see the cases rising. It's a matter of concern for us and our members and I have reached out to the chief to request a meeting urgently for us to discuss these matters to see how we move forward."
Reporter
"Are you in favor of schools remaining open?"
Elena Smith, President, BNTU
"We have never been against reopening, we have always said that we want our teachers and students to be safe while we reopen and so if it is that can happen, it's not going to be an issue, but if our members and students are not safe then that's going to be an issue."
