Children are being ‘experimented on’ – claim
Children are being “experimented on” as part of the Government’s plan to bring more pupils back to school from June 1, a councillor said.
Councillor Kath Scott, who chairs Birmingham City Council’s education and children’s social care overview and scrutiny committee, said she would not send her own children back to school next week.
Councillor Scott, who represents the Sutton Vesey ward, spoke at a public meeting on Tuesday for teachers and parents in the city to discuss their concerns about the Government’s plan.
At the meeting, Councillor Scott also said council leader Councillor Ian Ward has said parents who keep their children home from June 1 will not be fined, even if the Government brings back truancy fines which are currently not in force.
The online meeting titled “No Back To School Until It’s Safe” was hosted by Save Our Schools West Midlands, Birmingham Socialist Educational Association and the West Mids Coronavirus Action Group.
The Government has said primary schools are intended to bring in reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils from Monday, after the majority have been at home since March 20.
Up to a quarter of Year 10 and Year 12 are intended to be allowed “some contact” to help prepare for exams from June 15, two weeks later.
The majority who spoke at the Zoom meeting last night did not feel comfortable sending children back to school next week.
References were made to the Independent SAGE group’s view that it is not safe to open schools on June 1, or until a local test, track and isolate strategy is in place.
Councillor Scott, who had spoken to Councillor Ward prior to the meeting, said: “I want to reassure parents that if you don’t want to let your children go back to school you will not be fined.
“If the Government lifted the non-fining issue, the council would continue not fining parents even if the Government said they had to go back.
“This is an experiment [by the Government] to see if it works or not. I believe they are experimenting on the children.
“I am not sending my kids back, so that tells you everything.”
A number of parents at the meeting criticised the council for not being more specific about what it means by supporting the reopening of schools “when it is safe to do so”.
They called on the council to reject the June 1 start date as other councils have done, and said the decision should not be left up to individual schools.
Councillor Kerry Jenkins, who is a cabinet adviser on young people and skills and represents the Moseley ward, said: “I have been lobbying for the council to take a much firmer position on this and join other local authorities and say ‘we don’t think it’s safe yet’.
“Birmingham has called on the Government to publish the scientific evidence that led it to make the decision – and obviously they haven’t published that, because as we know, there isn’t the evidence.
“Schools shouldn’t be pressured to open for these children.
“School should remain shut until September.”
Lucy Philpott, president of the Birmingham branch of the National Education Union (NEU), said: “I cannot emphasise strongly enough that a reopening of schools on June 1 is naive, reckless, risky and it’s dangerous.
“I’m a parent myself and will not be sending my children back.
“Our children are not guinea pigs but that’s exactly how they are being used.”
A survey carried out by Childcare.co.uk showed 81.3 per cent of respondents would not send their children to school on June 1.
