At time of post, I don't think anybody know what is happening because any decision permission to close (or indeed anything else) must come from the Department of Education and/ Stormount. Neither have not made any decision yet. This is largely dues to the Public Health Authority in Northern ireland who have decided, that at this time it is not in the public interest for Schools to Close. This may change in the short term future (suggested inside three weeks) because either students will vote with their feet, or parents will keep their Children off out of fear of catching the virus or perhaps political pressure might change things. No Principal or Head teacher will close their School unless they get this permission from Dept Education. We have a Staff meeting on Monday morning (16/3) where we may get some more information.
We are about eight weeks out from this peak of virus and so It is almost certain we will be told to close down at or before this point. Which is where Public health wants us to be, when these decisions are finally made
Regardless, if your School officially closes, then its all out. This is because non-teaching staff are equally capable of contracting the CorVid-19 Virus like anybody else. So they can come in and spread the (viral) love around everybody else plus contaminate computers or any thing else really.
Now the hard part here is what happens to you. In short, your principal/line manager can ask you to do anything reasonable at home during your contracted hours. This could be C2k related or non C2k related. You might be extremely lucky and get what could be 2/3 or 4 weeks holiday and not have to do anything - but I believe in Santa Claus just like everybody else does.
My Line manager and I have already discussed what I will be doing. This will be general typing duties of topic tests/worksheets. Though I am hoping that in her excitement to get out the door quickly she will forget to finalise what she wants me to do or leeave it to my own discretion. A lovely position to be in. She simply wants to get out now!!
As a Senior Technician, I will not dump any work onto my Technicians. Instead i will tell them to "Do something educational and constructive" whatever they choose to do. Why should I screw up their lives.
