All three teacher unions have expressed concern around the ability of schools to keep classrooms both well ventilated and warm over the coming months

This morning.

Representatives from four trade unions representing teachers and other school workers are due before the Joint Committee on Education to discuss the safe running of schools under rona restrictions…

Via RTÉ:

…the Teachers’ Union of Ireland will tell politicians that many second level school buildings are not fit for purpose. The union says air quality metres should be installed in every classroom, to ensure that students and teachers are not forced to teach and learn in freezing cold classrooms.

The Association of Secondary Teachers has echoed that call. It says its research shows that 84% of schools where it has members do not have a dedicated ventilation system.

Primary teachers’ union, the Irish National Teachers Organisation, has also expressed concern that a grant given to schools last week, to allow for minor works to be carried out, will not be sufficient to allow them to install air-monitoring systems.

The trade union representing Special Needs Assistants, Fórsa,will tell politicians it remains concerned at the lack of clarity regarding the provision of PPE to schools staff, and specifically to SNA’s and Bus Escorts who accompany children with disabilities on public transport.

Union concerns at ability to keep classrooms both ventilated and warm (RTÉ)

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11 thoughts on “Cold School”

  1. ian-oh

    There are links between your body being cold and the propagation of viruses, so if they cannot heat these schools that’s bad enough but alongside poor ventilation they are creating petri dishes with children as the agar.

    As far as I have read, being cold can impact on white blood cell operation, viruses enjoy cooler weather and of course being winter, vitamin D is in short supply. Sounds like a recipe for disaster?

    1. Junkface

      Why aren’t the Gov’t investing in more modern solutions for air ventilation, insulation and heating? They could employ so many people out of work, helping the economy and people’s mental health. There will be more of these virus outbreaks from Asia in the next 10 years. Be prepared now, so next time everything does not have to shutdown.

    3. E'Matty

      Here’s an article (or “health letter”) from Harvard Medical School with some of the pros and cons of the effect of cold winter conditions on the body’s health. Seems to be quite a few positives of the cold but they also say the following:

      “Research documenting wintertime increases in blood pressure goes back decades. French researchers rounded out the record in 2009 with findings that showed the cold-weather increase in systolic blood pressure (the top number) was especially pronounced in those ages 80 and older.”

      “Some of this may have to do with a few infectious organisms, like flu viruses, thriving in colder temperatures, but there’s also evidence that exposure to cold temperatures suppresses the immune system, so the opportunities for infection increase.”

      https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/out-in-the-cold#:~:text=Some%20of%20this%20may%20have,the%20opportunities%20for%20infection%20increase.

      1. Cian

        All the “at-risk” 80-year-old students in the schools can stay home if they get a note signed by their parents.

  4. Redundant Proofreaders Society

    At our school, there were two students on daily window duty to (a) lower the upper sash window (to expel the warm stale air) and (b) raise the lower sash to draw in the fresh air. It was done at break times, for less than 10 minutes and nobody got hypothermia. Same simple principle applied to non-sash-window classrooms too.

    Bunch of sillies here talking about ‘air monitoring systems’.

  5. Janet, dreams of a steamed clootie

    I remember wearing full thermals under the uniform in our draughty freezing old school, school scarf in class, it was baltic, sea facing, high ceilings, single glazing, probably the only thing that kept me awake during some subjects and the smell of 29 other teenagers to a low hum.

  6. E'Matty

    I wonder how many hardships and disruptions we will impose on the lives of the children of this country to protect against a virus that poses almost no threat to them? These months will leave an everlasting impression on every one of these children and how they develop in their lives. Though, it must be said, given the hysteria driven overreaction we have witnessed to this virus, imagine if it had been killing children? What kind of greater insanity and chaos might we be experiencing now if faced with that kind of a threat? Hope that isn’t part of the “Dark Winter” Joe keeps warning us about….

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