Cork primary schools threatened by group opposed to Covid-19 guidelines

Teachers who received the letters spoke off the record as they are concerned that protests could occur outside their schools if they identified themselves.

Primary school principals and boards of management have been threatened for a second time with having their assets seized from them for complying with public health guidelines in schools.

The letters have been received by principals across Cork City and county from a group styling itself the Common Law Court Éire which opposes measures including social distancing, mask-wearing and Covid vaccines. The letters cite two addresses – one in Cork City and another in the county.

The letters are hand-signed by several people.

Teachers who received the letters spoke off the record as they are concerned that protests could occur outside their schools if they identified themselves.

One said: “The worry is that they would escalate – I am a little bit more worried this time around.” 

The senders have filled in the names of the principals in handwriting on the letters. They are directed at Education Minister Norma Foley; the schools’s boards of management; teachers; and special needs assistants.

They are a follow-up to letters received by the same people in September, seeking compliance with the requests of the group within 10 days.

The initial letters stated: “Failure by you in your duty of care to students by imposition or allowing of face masks/covering, segregation of students, hand sanitising, social distancing, ‘Covid testing’, temperature taking, ‘Covid vaccines’, or any policies which result in harmful outcomes for students will incur liabilities on the enforcer/facilitator/advocate.” 

The group demands a number of steps, including a risk assessment of the public health guidelines which should be made available to parents, confirmation that the schools’s insurance policies cover the guidelines in the event of outcomes including death, and a query whether principals will allow school buildings to be used “for the purposes of the injecting of children”.

The latest letter tells recipients they have been given “in excess of the time limit afforded you to respond to our questions and orders as outlined in our first notice of liability”.

It continues: “As no sufficient response has been made by you or any of your authorised agents in that time, you are now in dishonour and in tacit agreement with all points of law outlined” in the September correspondence.

Recipients of the latest letter have been given a further 10 days to reply “proving to us that you have fulfilled all our requirements”.

When contacted by the Irish Examiner, the Department of Education would not comment directly on the letters.

Instead, a spokesman outlined measures taken “to prevent the introduction of Covid-19 and also the onward of transmission of Covid-19 among the school community”.