As more than half a million Melbourne students return to classrooms, some must wait a little longer after a coronavirus case forced a school closure.
Nazareth College, a Catholic senior school in Noble Park in the city’s southeast, was meant to reopen to year sevens and VCE students on Monday.
But a positive case from a student, a Year 12 pupil who sat last Wednesday’s General Achievement Test (GAT), scuppered plans.
Nazareth College principal Sam Cosentino said the boy was not sitting among the main group during the assessment.
“The affected student took their GAT separately for educational reasons as they kept away from the main testing site,” he told AAP.
“The student had no, or extremely limited, contact with any other student.”
The school was contacted at 7.30pm on Sunday night about the positive case and quickly alerted parents.
Department of Health and Human Services officials visited the site on Monday, with precautionary cleaning in impacted areas.
Mr Cosentino said the school is likely to reopen on Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest.
Despite the hiccup, Education Minister James Merlino said the transition back to face-to-face learning for 584,000 primary, secondary and specialist school students had gone well.
“It’s been a terrific day,” he told reporters on Monday.
“Excited kids, excited teachers and staff to get the kids back at school and, I think, a massive sigh of relief for parents as well.”
Primary school, year seven, VCE and special school students returned to Melbourne classrooms on Monday after almost 10 weeks of remote learning.
Year 10 students enrolled in VCE or VCAL programs are also able to attend on-site for those classes.
Students in years eight to 10 are set to return in another two weeks.
Australian Associated Press