Bishop Lavis group urges parents not to send pupils to school on 1 June

Schools are meant to reopen on that day, with grades 7s and matrics expected to return to the classroom for the first time since mid-March due to the coronavirus.

CAPE TOWN - The Bishop Lavis Action Community is calling for a complete stay away from schools come 1 June.

Schools are meant to reopen on that day, with grades 7s and matrics expected to return to the classroom for the first time since mid-March.

The rest of the grades will be phased in thereafter.

But with reports of several teachers having already tested positive for COVID-19 and schools meant to start soon, fears for pupils' safety are escalating.

The Bishop Lavis Action Community's Rodney Zeeberg said that their call had been clear to parents: "Don't send your kids to school".

"The school stay away from 1 June entails us asking the parents not to send their children to school as a result of the very dangerous COVID-19 conditions that we are experiencing."

Zeeberg said that they're worried about the safety of pupils at this stage.

"It is a real threat and for us, it's more important to safeguard the lives of our children as opposed to looking at the completion of a curriculum at this stage. That's the main consideration."

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