Stormont Ministers to consider keeping schools shut until March
The issue of bumping school staff up the Covid-19 vaccination list is also expected to be discussed.
The Executive is due to consider whether schools across Northern Ireland should remain closed until after the February mid-term break.
Ministers are also set to discuss a proposal to vaccinate school staff with priority to be given to special schools, the majority of which have stayed open during the Covid pandemic.
Boris Johnson announced yesterday (Wednesday) schools in England would remain shut until March 8.
Education Minister, Peter Weir, will bring a paper to Stormont Ministers today suggesting a similar arrangement.
Barbara Spence, the Principal of Brookfield Special School in Moira, has welcomed the proposal for workers to get the Coronavirus vaccine.
She said: “Hopefully that will come, and it just will allow schools to remain open and hopefully in a fuller capacity.
“So, it’s trying to find the best way forward under extremely challenging times, meeting all the needs of our children, but also remembering without the staff being safely manage and looked after the schools couldn’t open.
“So, if we can get the staffing in place and vaccination hopefully as soon as possible it will be great to reassure staff and to ensure that schools can open and continue to stay open regardless of what date it is.”
Mr Weir is expected to present a paper asking members to consider raising the issue with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.
Mrs Spence said sometimes their branch of education can feel like the “forgotten sector”.
She said: “It has been really difficult and challenging to our staff it is really a huge complement that so many of our staff are coming through the door with a smile on their face and just getting on with things.
“That’s what we do normally and we’re continuing to do that but we’re doing it with, I suppose, trepidation at times.
“Special schools open even part time we really do understand the need for that it is very challenging and especially to our staff as well.
“I think it’s very challenging because we’re almost, I don’t want to say the forgotten sector, but at times it can feel like that.”
“It has been challenging, it’s a challenging time for everyone.
“Obviously special schools are all open currently in one shape or another, but it has been challenging because obviously we are the sector that has remained open.
“Our children themselves are very vulnerable and their needs are different and a lot of them have underlying health needs as well.”
Joanne Whyte, Chair of the Belfast Special Principals Group, said teachers and other school staff are frontline workers too and agrees that they should be given priority.
She said: “We are very aware as principals that we are one set of key workers and we would never think that we should be above any other particular set.
“We are part of a group of people who are keeping everything going at the moment.
“The other key worker services would be depleted staff wise if they did not have a place for their children to go.
“For school leaders we are hoping this is going to ease our management issues with staff being off.
“We know staff are going to be off for their ten days if they need to isolate, the same as usual, but we don’t have that same worry if a staff member has been vaccinated.
“School staff and school leaders are very aware of the fact that the vaccine is not the cure.
“They’re not expecting miracles but at the moment education staff are providing a service to key worker children and those vulnerable children as well and education staff are also key workers.”