August 18, 2020
Manurewa principal resists reopening call
A South Auckland school principal says it's too risky to bring children back to school while COVID-19 is in the community.
Auckland secondary schools have been told year 12 and 13 students can return in bubbles of no more than 20 during Alert level 3, with strict health and safety measures in place.
But Mahia Nathan says Te Wharekura o Manurewa won’t open its doors until the risk has passed.
He says it’s shocking to see how an outbreak in one south Auckland family spread across the community so quickly.
"We’re finding new cases coming out of schools. To me, that's just unacceptable and it concerns me because who knows where that's all going to lead. Daily we have cases popping up and not just in Auckland. I'm really concerned about vulnerable communities like our communities out in south Auckland," he says.
Mr Nathan says drawing on the experience of the first lockdown he is confident his tauira will be able to continue their studies remotely.
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