Coronavirus Victoria: Principals 'losing their minds' as pressure mounts for schools to close

Pressure is mounting for Victorian students to return to remote learning as dozens of schools continue to close from rising coronavirus infections.

More than 50 schools have closed for deep cleaning across the state due to positive virus cases, causing teachers and principals immense "anxiety".

Schools in metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire remain open for Year 11 and 12 students to ensure consistency with schools in regional Victoria.

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But Australian Principals Federation president Julie Podbury told 3AW principals were "losing their minds" over the rising cases and miscommunication from the state's health and education departments.

"The number of principals who called me over the weekend in absolute anxiety over what was going on and the confusing communications that were coming from separate parties – the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education – they were losing their minds," Ms Podbury said.

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"In an ideal world [students] would be at school. However, there are so many cases of school closure happening this time because of infections at schools that has produced a new level of anxiety that had not been anticipated before we made the decision about 11 and 12s."

Ms Podbury said one Melbourne school had shut down three times due to COVID-19 cases, while another school - which was closed for over a week - was meant to reopen today, however received communication overnight that contact tracing had not yet occurred, therefore it had to remain closed.

Staff were then forced to man the school gates from 6am to inform parents who would have not yet seen the closure notification.

A school in Ringwood, Melbourne's east is one of the latest to shut down, after a staff member tested positive to COVID-19.

Aquinas College Principal Darren Atkinson in a letter to parents said the school would be closed from today for an initial two days to undertake a "precautionary pandemic clean".

"It has been confirmed that a staff member associated with the cleaning contractor at Aquinas College has tested positive for coronavirus," Mr Atkinson said.

"This closure will allow time for the school and the DHHS to work through a contact and containment strategy. Contact tracing in schools can take a couple of days."

Students have been advised to remain at home while contact tracing occurs. Remote learning would recommence for VCE students tomorrow.

Mooroolbark College has also closed until further notice following a positive coronavirus test. Families were advised of the closure on Saturday.

Premier Daniel Andrews has maintained health advice suggested schools were safe to remain open for VCE and VCAL students.

Schools closed in Victoria

(Not all are due to COVID-19)

South-Eastern Victoria Region

•             Cheltenham Secondary College, CHELTENHAM

•             Dandenong High School, DANDENONG

•             Fountain Gate Secondary College, NARRE WARREN

•             Gleneagles Secondary College, ENDEAVOUR HILLS

•             Grayling Primary School, CLYDE NORTH

•             Kingston Heath Primary School, CHELTENHAM

•             Leibler Yavneh College, ELSTERNWICK 

•             Overport Primary School, FRANKSTON

•             Parkdale Primary School, PARKDALE

•             Thomas Mitchell Primary School, ENDEAVOUR HILLS

North-Eastern Victoria Region

•             Ashwood High School, BURWOOD

•             Auburn High School, HAWTHORN EAST

•             Glen Iris Primary School, GLEN IRIS

•             Mooroolbark College, MOOROOLBARK

•             Mount Waverley Primary School, MOUNT WAVERLEY

•             Vermont Primary School, VERMONT

•             Wattle Park Primary School, BURWOOD

North-Western Victoria Region

•             Al Siraat College, EPPING

•             Charles La Trobe, MACLEOD WEST

•             Diamond Valley College, DIAMOND CREEK

•             Epping Secondary College, EPPING

•             Fitzroy Primary School, FITZROY

•             Gisborne Secondary College, GISBORNE

•             Gladstone Park Secondary College, GLADSTONE PARK

•             Greenvale Primary School, GREENVALE

•             Lalor Secondary College, LALOR

•             Melbourne Girls College, RICHMOND

•             Newbury Primary School, CRAGIEBURN

•             Northcote High School, NORTHCOTE

•             Northern College of Arts and Technology (NCAT), PRESTON

•             Pascoe Vale Girls Secondary College, OAK PARK

•             Penders Grove Primary School, THORNBURY

•             Princes Hill Secondary College, PRINCES HILL

•             Sacred Heart School, FITZROY

•             Roxburgh College, ROXBURGH PARK

•             Thornbury High School, THORNBURY

•             Watsonia Primary School, WATSONIA

South-Western Victoria Region

•             Al Taqwa College, TRUGANINA

•             Catholic Regional College, SYDENHAM

•             Clonard Secondary College, GEELONG WEST

•             Copperfield College Delahey Campus, DELAHEY

•             Cofferfield College Sydenham Campus, DELAHEY

•             Footscray Primary School and OSHC, FOOTSCRAY

•             Footscray West Primary School, FOOTSCARY WEST

•             Grovedale West Primary School, GROVEDALE

•             Hoppers Crossing Secondary College, HOPPERS CROSSING

•             Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School, ESSENDON

•             Keilor Downs Secondary College, KEILOR DOWNS

•             Manor Lakes P-12 College, WYNDHAM VALE

•             Mary McKillop College, WERRIBEE

•             Melton Secondary College, MELTON

•             Parkville College (Parkville and Malmsbury Campus)

•             Point Cook Senior Secondary College, POINT COOK

•             Rosamond Specialist School, BRAYBROOK

•             St Alban's Secondary College, ST ALBANS

•             St Brigid's College, HORSHAM

•             Sydenham Hillside Primary School, SYDENHAM

•             Tarneit Senior College, TARNEIT

•             Thomas Carr College, TARNEIT

•             Victorian College of the Arts, ALBERT PARK

•             Warracknabeal Secondary College, WARRACKNABEAL

Source: Department of Education