Close SEN schools, to avoid putting staff and children at risk from Covid-19.

Rejected 15 signatures

What the petition asks

We want staff who work at SEN schools to be given the same protection as staff of mainstream schools. We demand that they are not made to go to work when all other schools are closed in the UK, NI and the EU having protected their staff and children adequately.

We realize that parents of SEN children need respite but in the case of a global pandemic it is really the wellbeing of BOTH staff and children that should be taken into account. Keeping SEN schools open to provide this respite automatically means that a large number of staff (and other children) are put at grave risk. SEN staff should therefore NOT be forced to go into work against their will under the guise of helping the vulnerable, with the threat of having their contracts terminated.

Why it was rejected

The UK Government or Parliament was already taking the action it asked for.

Since you started your petition, the Government has published guidance which states that 'Those with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan should be risk-assessed by their school or college in consultation with the local authority (LA) and parents, to decide whether they need to continue to be offered a school or college place in order to meet their needs, or whether they can safely have their needs met at home'. Find out more here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-vulnerable-children-and-young-people.

You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:

www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips

You can read impartial analysis of the Government response to coronavirus and policy developments here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/

You may also be interested to know that because of the large number of petitions that have been started in relation to coronavirus, the Petitions Committee has been questioning the Government about its response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Find out more and watch the Committee put questions suggested by petitioners to Government Ministers and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/news/145767/committee-question-deputy-chief-medical-officer-and-ministers-on-coronavirus-response/

Read letters asking further questions of Government Ministers: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/publications/3/correspondence/

Timeline

20 Mar 2020	Petition opened for signatures
17 Apr 2020	Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 15

Status Rejected

Rejected 17 Apr 2020

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