Teachers have demanded free Covid testing in schools should continue after the Easter holidays as 142 staff are off sick this week in West Lothian.
Their calls, which are backed by the council, come as the county faces surging Covid related absences rates in schools, with almost four per cent of pupils and 142 teachers off sick this week.
The number of teachers off has doubled since the start of the month.
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The Scottish Government plans to scrap free Covid tests in schools by the start of the summer term on April 18 as it moves to a test and protect strategy.
However those with Covid are still expected to self-isolate.
Local EIS secretary Heather Hughes told the education executive this week schools were seeing record high numbers of absences within teaching staff and young people in recent weeks.
She said: “ I am being contacted on a daily basis with concerns about the numbers of pupils and teachers off.”
She told the committee that the tests would cost £20.
Mrs Hughes added: “There will be young people and families who cannot afford to pay for tests. Will the education executive join the EIS in writing to the cabinet secretary to demand that testing should remain free for all young people and staff in schools going forward from 18 April?”
Education Services manager Andrew Sneddon had outlined changes to the Covid regulations in a report on the recovery process within local schools.
He said free tests would no longer be distributed by schools after a move to a Test and Protect programme. His report outlined the Scottish Government’s strategy was: “To adapt Test and Protect to support the effective management of Covid-19 as it becomes endemic, to support patient treatment and care; protect those in highest risk settings; monitor prevalence and the risk of new variants, respond to outbreaks, scale if required for future health threats, and build a legacy for wider population health benefit.”
The report added that the other main change will be: “Removing the requirement for secondary school pupils and staff to wear face coverings in classrooms. Any young person or staff member who wishes to continue to wear a face covering will be supported in doing so. Face coverings will continue to be worn in indoor communal areas. Face coverings will continue to be worn in classrooms by adults where they cannot maintain physical distance with other adults , children and young people.”
Restrictions on parental visits to schools and attendance at face to face meetings with teachers have been scrapped, as have rules on PTA and related gatherings.
Committee chair David Dodds said:”Heather has proposed expressing our concerns about the cost of testing going forward. If that’s a motion then I’m happy to support that.”
It also won the backing of SNP councillor Andrew Miller.
