Specialist schools say they should not be forced to reopen on Monday due to serious concerns about the safety of staff and their most vulnerable students after successive days of triple-digit growth in the number of COVID-19 cases in Victoria.
Mr Peverett said there were "significant concerns about the health and safety of our staff and our students during a time when education shouldn’t be the priority but health and safety should".
Physical distancing was largely impossible and hygiene more challenging, he said, with some staff required to help with toilet breaks and feeding. In addition, children tend to travel further to attend these schools, including from COVID-19 hotspots and the public housing towers put in hard lockdown last week.
"The advice of Victoria’s Chief Health Officer is that schools continue to be a safe learning and working environment," he said. There are 108 specialist schools in Victoria, ranging from autism specialist schools to physical disability schools, facilities for students with mild to severe intellectual disability, and those that focus on social, emotional and behavioural needs.
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