The House approves the PL statute that makes schools an essential service

The House of Representatives approved on Tuesday (20) the basic text of the bill that prohibits the suspension of face-to-face studies during epidemics and public calamities, unless there are technical and scientific standards justified by the executive authority regarding the state’s health conditions. . Or the municipality.

Parliamentarians are now analyzing the salient points presented by the parties which, if approved, could change the text.

The bill makes early childhood education, primary and secondary education, and higher education essential services, which are those services that cannot be cut during the epidemic.

The text also expects, as a strategy to return to the classroom, standards as a priority in vaccinating teachers and workers in public and private schools and preventing infection of students, professionals and family members with the new Corona virus. This return must be agreed upon between states and municipalities, with the participation of education, health and social assistance agencies.

The project sets standards for sanitation infrastructure and provision of hygiene and protection equipment, including masks, 70% gel alcohol, water and soap, during rest, meals, and school transportation.

“Despite the efforts made by the state and municipal networks to provide distance education, the losses to the education of children and adolescents, especially the poorest and most vulnerable, have been enormous due to the suspension of face-to-face lessons. Even with the adoption of distance education, there are studies conducted in many Countries on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on education that are showing significant learning losses, ”said Representative Joyce Haselman (PSL-SP), author of the Approved Alternative.

The critics
Parliamentarians from various opposition parties obstructed the procedures during the voting because they were against return during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. In Deputy Professor Rosa Ned’s assessment (PT-MT), it is imperative to discuss the increase in technology and equipment so that teachers and students can recover lost time during the period of paralyzed classes.

“We are at the height of the epidemic. We have more than 360,000 dead. We want vaccines for everyone,” Rosa Neede said. We want technology for schools, we want a safe protocol, not forcing education professionals to come to classrooms to die, and students to take the virus home. “

For the leader of the PSOL, Representative Talíria Petrone (RJ), the discussion should focus on establishing safe rules to enable return to school. According to the parliamentarian, there is another bill that sets “epidemiological standards” “that do not endanger students, families, or education personnel.”

We want open schools. I would like to repeat here, we want open schools, because we understand that school is an essential place to confront inequality in a country, for the sake of children’s happiness, for the sake of children’s mental health, for the sake of children’s food, to participate in care with exhausted mothers, but we don’t want that in any way Price “