A children's charity is worried low-income families are struggling to send their children to school as schools brace for another tumultuous year.
Low decile schools are warning children in poverty will be missing from classrooms as families struggle with both back-to-school costs and the impact of Omicron.
According to KidsCan, this year is expected to be the toughest yet with staff in nearly 200 schools and early childhood centres supported by the charity sharing stories of the choices some families are forced to make at the start of the school year.
"The impact of Omicron means for many students this will be the toughest start to the year yet," KidsCan's CEO and founder Julie Chapman says.
"Families are having to make heart-breaking choices, like whether to equip their children with the tools they need for learning or buy enough food. Students are starting school with a sense of shame that they do not have the right uniform or stationery, and they don't want to go."
Some siblings are sharing a bus pass, meaning only one can attend each day.
"COVID-19 has impacted on many of our families' ability to provide adequately for their children," one principal wrote to KidsCan. "There has been a marked increase in families needing support in the form of food parcels and food vouchers."
A survey of teachers found schools in Auckland are particularly concerned about the number of students attending "dropping dramatically" as students take up jobs to help their families survive.
"The anxiety and stress levels are now taking its toll on perseverance and engagement," a principal wrote.
Many students spent last year's lockdown in substandard, overcrowded homes, without access to a device or internet, KidsCan said in a statement.
In response, low decile schools are fundraising for stationary, applying uniform grants, providing free transport, offering a laundry service on site and employing staff to help families access support from external agencies, as well as some teachers shouldering costs for students.
KidsCan is asking for donations to help families with back to school costs as Omicron arrives.
"Experiencing children not having the tools to learn at the beginning of the year is all too common," one teacher told KidsCan. "'How does it affect attendance?' is not the real question. How does it affect mental wellbeing when you are the odd one out without the tools to learn? It's soul-destroying. It makes you want to give up and not go to school."
Secondary teachers are also returning to school with concerns.
President of PPTA Te Wehengarua Melanie Webber says teachers have a lot of "fear and trepidation".
"We really want school to be as normal as possible for students as many of them, particularly in Tāmaki Makaurau, have had two very disrupted years," Webber says.
"However, the fact that Omicron has arrived in Aotearoa New Zealand at around the same time as schools open for the year, is terrible timing."
She says wearing a mask is something teachers will have to persevere with.
"I don't think anyone enjoys wearing a mask at the best of times but February is the hottest month of the year so wearing a mask all day is a real pain," she says.
Webber is concerned about the delay in ordering enough ventilation units for schools as we approach the end of summer, which was raised with the Education Minister more than three months ago.
Isolation has been another concern as rather than lockdown there will be an increased focus on staying home when sick.
"It could mean children aren't with their normal classroom teacher as we shuffle students around because the priority over the next few months is going to be keeping schools open," says New Zealand Educational Institute president Liam Rutherford.
One Auckland school has already had to delay the start of the school term due to all teachers waiting for COVID test results.
The NZ Herald reported that all teaching staff at Reremoana Primary School have been deemed close contacts after a positive COVID case attended a staff training day on Thursday.
Under all COVID protection frameworks schools will remain open for onsite learning, the Ministry of Education says.
"Being at school or kura is the best place for students to be for engaging in learning, connecting with kaiako (teachers), being with friends, and for their general well-being," the ministry's hautū (leader) operations and integration/te pae aronui Sean Teddy said.
