Elementary schools across the country are gearing up for the last day of school before the early Christmas break begins. Schools will close a week earlier to prevent the number of infections from rising further.
Christmas breakfasts and Christmas celebrations are organized at the last minute. This is also the case at primary school de Tourmalijn in Bavel. Director Gert-Jan Heeren says in it NOS Radio 1 News that he saw the early closure coming. “Even though the minister had indicated that he wanted to keep the schools open at all times, you soon noticed that things were going in a different direction,” he says.
At his school, an average of twelve children use emergency care every day. “That is out of a total of 300 students,” he clarifies. Heeren says that he now mainly uses the extra time to get rid of overdue administration. All teaching staff will have to work as usual next week.
He cannot assess whether closing the schools is a good idea. “If parents stick to the agreement to stay in their own family bubble, then I understand. But if all parents go on holiday and visit large holiday parks, then I wonder where this policy will lead.” But at the same time, he also sees the number of infections at his school increasing. “And that would mean that I should have left several groups at home from Monday.”
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