In news that has some students, parents, and vaccinated teachers concerned, unvaxxed teachers in Victoria will soon be able to work in schools again. According to The Age, this rule also pertains to school staff and childcare workers. These individuals will be able to return to work or apply for a job at one of these facilities from 27 June.
In an information sheet for principals that was obtained by The Age, it outlined that parents won’t be able to remove their kid from an unvaxxed teacher’s class. This document said, “Parents do not have the right to ask for this information and no one at the school should have this information. Principals do not hold information about the vaccination status of staff or students.”
This decision is alarming because, if you don’t know, the coronavirus pandemic is still happening. The coronavirus is still a deadly disease. It’s not like Omicron will hear this news and go, “Oh, I guess I better retire now.” In fact, two new Omicron subvariants called BA.4 and BA.5 were recently found in Melbournes and regional Victoria’s wastewater systems. It would be incredibly awful and pointless if a single child, parent, or teacher got ill from either of these subvariants or any other version of the virus.
If you want to learn more about the Omicron subvariants called BA.4 and BA.5, then this article on The Latch can be your guide: What We Know About the New BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron Sub-Variants That Have Reached Australia
If you need a reminder that vaccines work, then here’s that info: COVID-19 Vaccine Myths Debunked By Doctors
Another reason that this news is worrisome has to do with the fact that it might bring anti-vax believers into our classrooms. Not believing that vaccines work is a dangerous conspiracy theory. Moreover, if they believe that bunk, they might also believe something like QAnon, as conspiracy theories often go hand in hand. Do we really want these clowns educating our kids anything? Is it safe or smart if these people start teaching science again? These questions are worth asking.
As per, The Herald Sun, this state of affairs is already ruffling some feathers. They reported that it’s becoming “teacher against teacher” in certain schools, with the vaccinated ones becoming frustrated at this situation. We’ll keep you posted if anything changes.
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