Face Coverings Required

Dear Parents, Guardians, Staff and Students,

In line with advice from the Victorian Chief Health Officer, the Victorian Government has announced that those in metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire must wear a face covering when they leave home from 11.59pm on Wednesday 22 July 2020. Face coverings will be mandatory for people aged 12 and over. These measures will slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and help protect the community.

In schools, this means that school-based staff, secondary school students and any visitors to schools in metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire will be required to wear a face covering. The Victorian Chief Health Officer has advised that any face covering will be acceptable – it does not need to be a surgical mask. More information about different face coverings is provided at the end of this message.

All school-based staff and students must wear face coverings at school, and when travelling to and from school.

Teachers and education support staff will not be required to wear face coverings while teaching, but those who wish to do so, can. Teachers should wear face coverings in other areas of the school when not teaching (for example, in the staffroom, on yard duty and when providing first aid or taking temperatures), and when travelling to and from school.

All secondary school students who are attending on-site for Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) or Vocational Educational and Training in Schools (VETis),  will need to wear a face covering in class, on the school grounds and when travelling to and from school.

Students or staff who have a medical condition – including problems with their breathing, a serious skin condition on the face, a disability or a mental health condition – are not required to wear a face covering. Parents/carers will be required to wear face coverings whenever they leave the house, including for school drop off and pick up.

We expect staff and students will supply their own face coverings; in the short term schools will receive a supply of single-use face masks to provide to students and staff if they are unable to access one themselves.

The Department of Health and Human Services website has advice about face coverings, including:

• different types that can be used
• how to make your own
• how to safely wear
• how to safely remove.

Thank you for your support.
Yours Sincerely

Greg McMahon
Executive Principal
Hallam Senior College