Delay the return of children to school

Dear parents, grandparents, and guardians.

The Western Cape opened schools on the 1st June, other provinces on the 8th June, since the reopening of schools, many have had to close their doors due to infections... That with only grade 7's and 12's returning. 

The department is now wanting to send the majority of grades back on the 6th July 2020. Yet our teachers and children are still contracting the virus. It appears that they have no regard for lives only the fact that education must continue.

Their contradictions are unacceptable, a week before the initial opening, they had a pediatric specialist announce that children cannot contract the virus, yet thousands are now ill. They had schools issue indemnity forms to parents which requires a parent to sign and accept that neither the DOE, School or School governing body will be held liable in the event that a child tests positive for COVID-19! Yet they claimed that children cannot get the virus.

Their reason for sending children back to school now was that it was emotionally detrimental to keep children at home, every expert was approached and they all agreed, however they had no foresight! Children are naturally nasty, can you imagine a child who is accustomed to attending school who has friends, contracts the virus, recovers and returns to school, that child will be isolated as the child will carry the stigma of the virus. What will happen should a student pass away, how will the child's peers continue their studies knowing that their return resulted in the loss of a class mate.

We as parents have been told that we have the choice to refrain from sending our children back to school, they have issued a myriad of various loopholes for parents and guardians to jump through. 

We need to take matters further, we are not asking them to cancel school indefinitely, we are simply asking the Minister Angie Motshekga to wait until we have survived the peak and winter has finished. 

Our first responsibility as parents and guardians to our children as per the Parental Rights and Responsibilities amendment is CARE!

There are many meanings but the most obvious is to ensure the health and well-being of someone or something! 

Minister Angie Motshekga is forcing all parents and guardians to fail our children, fail as parents, guardians and caregivers. Children have been removed from their families for far less severe reasons! 

So please sign my petition not only for the lives of our children but for the lives of our teachers! They all need our support in overturning the ruling for schools to reopen!

My plan is to require a minimum of 5000 signatures to submit to the various teachers unions to assist them in getting their case heard! 

Thank you for your time and for joining a movement to safeguard our future generations! 

Tracy Mercer    Contact the author of the petition