Highland councillor seeks to give assurance after positive Covid test at school
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Anxious parents have been assured all possible safety measures are in place to protect Highland youngsters after an Inverness teacher tested positive for coronavirus.
Highland Council’s education committee chairman John Finlayson stressed Scottish Government public health guidance had been carefully followed since the Kinmylies Primary staff member discovered they had contracted the potentially deadly virus.
Our exclusive revelation on Tuesday evening sparked concern among parents, with some on social media saying they would keep children at home.
The teacher showed no Covid-19 symptoms, and it is understood they were alerted through the track and trace procedure.
Highland Council’s head of education and learning Nicky Grant told Kinmylies Primary parents the individual had not been in contact with pupils or colleagues since Friday.
It was unclear, however, whether they had attended the school since then.
Speaking before the news that a pupil at Dalneigh Primary in Inverness had also tested positive for Covid-19 Councillor Finlayson said: “We’ve followed all the Scottish Government guidance. We’ve taken advice from NHS Highland and public health.
“We’re developing more detailed information for schools in dealing with suspected Covid-19 outbreaks.
“The authority is on the case. It is working with all the public health agencies and we’re confident we’re on track.
“Clearly, there will be parents who are anxious.
“The decision has been taken that we return pupils to school and we’ve got to keep modifying the guidance in light of Scottish Government and public health advice.
“We’re doing the very best we can. Every parent, rightly, will have a degree of anxiety, but there’s anxiety across society at the moment.
“We’ve got two options. We either go back and lock down everything again, which I don’t think anyone wants, or we move forward cautiously.”
Many schools had been operating a phased return since last Wednesday with all pupils expected to be in classrooms by Tuesday.
Reacting to the Kinmylies news Inverness West councillor Bill Boyd said: “While, from what we saw in Aberdeen, it was maybe foreseeable this could happen somewhere close by, it still comes as a real shock and a blow.
“Everybody behind the scenes is offering all the help and support the school will need. As far as we know, at this time, there is no spread within the school.
“My thoughts are with the teacher involved and their family.”
Kinmylies parent Aileen Rore felt she should have been told if her child had been in class or in contact with the teacher.
Ms Rore said: “I firmly believe, as a parent, I have the right to know whether my child came into contact with the virus, directly or indirectly.
“I have a responsibility as a parent to consider my other children and their school community, and my own extended family.
“In order to make informed decisions and protect vulnerable members of our own families and communities, parents need to be given full information and be able to determine the level of risks for our children. Dr Tim Allison, director of public health at NHS Highland, which advised the council and the school after Tuesday’s positive test, said: “We are aware of a positive case in Inverness with ties to Kinmylies Primary School.
“Contact tracing for this case has been completed and the individual is well and in isolation at home as per national guidelines.
“We are aware that positive cases can cause some local anxiety in the community but the health protection team at NHS Highland have fully explored this and do not believe there is an increased risk of Covid-19 to those working in or attending the primary school.”
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