Gradual school re-openings begin in SEQ

Published Monday, 28 February, 2022 at 04:43 PM

Minister for Education, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Racing
The Honourable Grace Grace

Selected state schools in the Sunshine Coast, Noosa and Lockyer Valley Local Government Areas will begin to reopen following flooding across the south-east Queensland region.

All state schools will remain closed for tomorrow:

  • Brisbane City Council
  • Ipswich City Council
  • Moreton Bay Regional Council
  • Somerset Regional Council 
  • City of Gold Coast Council 
  • Logan City Council 
  • Redland City Council 
  • Scenic Rim Regional Council  
  • Gympie Regional Council  
  • Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council 

Education Minister Grace Grace said a number of factors were determining which schools could reopen. 

“Our absolute highest priority is the safety of our students, staff, and families,” Minister Grace said. 

“As flood waters recede and we can conduct damage assessments and ensure safe transport, more schools will be able to open.

“Across the 10 LGAs where all schools will remain closed, there will be very limited public transport and travelling by road may be dangerous.

“This means while the school site itself may be safe to open, we do not want people out on the streets trying to get to schools when that could be dangerous. 

“However we also recognise that as the weather event moves south, the some parts of SEQ - in this case the Sunshine Coast, Lockyer Valley and Noosa Shire LGAs - will be safer to travel around and the majority of schools can open there.

“The four schools we listed yesterday on the Fraser Coast - Mungar State School, Maryborough Central State School, St Helens State School and Granville State School - will remain closed.”

Minister Grace encouraged families to check the Queensland school closure website which will have each school closure listed on the site – including state, catholic and independent schools.“The site also guides you on where to get updates on Early Childhood and Care providers,” Ms Grace said.  “Schools will provide updates to parents through their usual communication channels about the closures, alternate arrangements and reopening dates.“We would like to thank the parents, carers, teachers, staff and school communities for their patience and understanding while we work to ensure schools are safe and it’s safe to get there.”Minister Grace said if students would like to study, they can access a range of resources and activities available on the comprehensive learning@home site. “I also urge parents, families and children to not take risks, and be especially cautious around floodwater, or swift flowing water,” she said.  “Please ensure children understand the dangers of floodwaters and do not play near storm drains or causeways during this heavy rain.“Stay safe and remember – if it’s flooded, forget it.”Information on Queensland state school closures can be found at https://closures.qld.edu.au/To access online tools and resources to support students, visit the learning@home site at https://education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/learning-at-homeStay up-to-date with the latest Bureau of Meteorology warnings, including flood warnings, river levels at www.bom.gov.au/qld/warnings

ENDS

Media contact: Kate Talbot - 0439 803 211