The reopening of Bermuda’s public schools has been delayed by three days, until Monday, September 14, “to afford staff the time to learn and take on board the numerous safety and health protocols to ensure a safe environment for staff and students”.
Speaking at the latest COVID-19 briefing on Thursday, Premier David Burt said he was “I have been asked to relay a message by the Minister of Education”.
“So I will relay that now,” said Mr Burt.
“Representatives from the Ministry of Education and the Bermuda Union of Teachers (BUT) have been meeting during the past few weeks to discuss the reopening of our Public School System in September 2020.
“There was extensive discussions about the entry to exit safety and health protocols for the various school levels, staffing, school hygiene supplies, the hybrid learning model, the cleaning of schools, and the first week of school.
“Recognizing the safety and health of students and school staff is paramount, the Ministry of Education and the Bermuda Union of Teachers both came to the agreement that it would be best to delay the return of students by three school days until Monday, September 14 to afford staff the time to learn and take on board the numerous safety and health protocols to ensure a safe environment for staff and students.
“School staff will still return on September 1,” he added.
“The additional three days will allow full professional development for staff to focus on safety and health protocols for: entry to exit of school buildings, isolating sick staff and students, special services programmes, school evacuations and the requirements for food services, as developed by the Department of Health.”
