Winter illnesses are harming students' education, the president of the New Zealand Principals' Federation says.
Data from the Ministry of Education showed almost 10 percent of class time was lost across the country last week due to illness. The past couple of weeks have been the worst in three years for school absences due to illness and medical reasons.
Hawke's Bay has been hit hard - one day last week, Napier Girl's High had 20 percent of its students, or about 200 girls, off due to sickness. The Terrace School - a primary in Waikpukurau - had 76 kids off on Tuesday, about a third of its roll, as well as six teachers.
NZPF president Jason Miles said absences that high affected student learning.
"You've got to work out what the children have missed in that time that they've been away. It's about the teachers knowing their children, knowing what they have missed and looking at what they can do to catch up," he told RNZ.
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The principal's federation encouraged children to stay away if they were unwell, but to come back as soon as they were feeling better, he said.
"There are different communities that are hit harder than others for a period of time, and it takes 5-10 days to get over this flu, so in that time you've got a number of children who are sick, a number of children who about to get sick and of course you've got staff who are sick as well."
Illness among staff was particularly problematic, and was putting huge pressure on the relieving teacher pool, particularly in high schools.
"When you've got a lot of children away, it's fairly straightforward, but if you've got more staff away, percentage-wise, than children, then that's a really difficult space for leaders to be in, because that's about getting enough adults to keep your school open.
"So school leaders are either having to double up classes, put management staff in classes, which impacts on other parts of running the school, or rostering some years home."
Auckland Primary Principals' Association executive Lucy Naylor told the NZ Herald that parents could not afford to have a "she'll be right attitude" towards illness.
She acknowledged there could be "conflicting messaging" over when to keep children home, however.
Health NZ has official guidance for when children should not be at school.
It states: "If a child is too unwell to learn or they have an infectious illness that could spread easily to others, they need to be kept at home away from school so they can recover or get health advice or care."
Children should stay home or parents/caregivers should be contacted to collect them if any of the following criteria apply:
- They have tested positive for Covid-19
- They have a symptom of concern such as fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, a sore throat or difficulty breathing
- The child appears unwell, upset or unsettled
- Public health or their doctor has advised the child to stay at home because they have an infectious illness that could be spread easily, such as measles.