Shelly Coad's five-year-old son Kai is starting school in Adelaide this week. But instead of feeling excited for his milestone, she's full of fear because of his health issues.
"My son Kai is what you'd call vulnerable. He's immunocompromised. He's had issues from birth with his respiratory system," she said.
"COVID is just terrifying for us. And the thought of now sending him to school during a massive case load of COVID is absolutely terrifying."
Her anxiety has been made worse because the South Australian government's back-to-school plans don't include a surveillance testing regime for primary and high school students, as is being implemented in New South Wales and Victoria.
In NSW and Victoria, parents are being given free rapid antigen kits to test their children twice a week. They're urged to report positive results to the school.
Four million children are due to return to school over the next fortnight.
"When you look at places like NSW and Victoria, they've set up constant surveillance of both teachers and students in order to provide protection. Whereas here in South Australia, it's kind of a 'she'll be right approach'. Well, our family is not OK," Ms Coad told 7.30.
"It feels like the government is saying to us that our children don't matter."
South Australia Education Minister John Gardner said his government was rolling out rapid antigen tests across childcare and early learning settings, but not across primary and high schools because asymptomatic students may test negative, which could lead to a false sense of security.
"People might then go about their lives, not paying attention to those other COVID-safe behaviours, which would indeed potentially present a risk in itself," he told 7.30.
"We want to ensure that as many of our students get vaccinated as possible, and indeed we have a mandate in place for our staff. We absolutely believe that it is critically important that our students from years three and up — and mandated in our high schools — are wearing masks.
"I think in South Australia, we have much lower case numbers."
'We expected to see national leadership'
When national cabinet met earlier this month, a uniform back-to-school approach had been expected.
Australian Education Union federal president Correna Haythorpe said its members were left disappointed when states and territories instead were left to go their own way, as they have for most of the pandemic.
"We've actually sought a national plan for several months now, so that our members would be aware of what was needed," she said.
"The Prime Minister has simply vacated the space here and handed it to the states and territories to do it. We expected to see national leadership."
As well as NSW and Victoria, the ACT is supplying rapid antigen kits for twice-weekly surveillance testing. Tasmania and Queensland will hand out tests if students show symptoms.
Acting Federal Education Minister Stuart Robert told 7.30 that states were entitled to pursue their own testing strategies.
"We've had 60 meetings of national cabinet, which is about getting consistency across our response. States will always reserve their right to do things differently," he told 7.30.
"I'm confident the vast majority of schools will be able to sensibly manage their response over the next six weeks."
'Understandable anxiety amongst parents and children'
Paediatrician Margie Danchin from the Murdoch Children's Research Institute said surveillance testing was a strong strategy, but South Australia's planned daily testing of close contracts should help to limit any outbreaks.
"There is understandable anxiety amongst both parents and children, particularly for parents who have children who are more vulnerable or at risk medically with certain chronic medical conditions," she said.
"We know that there's not one strategy that will really reduce cases alone.
"Both approaches [NSW/Victoria's and South Australia's] are designed to identify cases, reduce outbreaks and maximise face-to-face learning."
Dr Danchin said COVID tended to lead to less serious illness in most children and it was important for students to return to classrooms.
"We've seen from some national data from the US that children are about 50 to 60 per cent less likely to be admitted to hospital with the Omicron variant," she said.
"Both clinically and through our research, we have seen negative impacts of the pandemic on children's mental health, particularly amongst adolescents with increases in eating disorders, self-harm, anxiety and depression," she said.
'Testing makes me feel confident'
NSW mother of three Ailsa Jones said her children had missed a lot of face-to-face learning because of the pandemic and she was happy they were going back this week.
"I definitely see the kids falling behind in reading. They don't have that same face-to-face learning with their teacher," she said.
"During the school holidays the kids have been motorbike riding, swimming, just playing around the house, just mainly staying on our property here. So they haven't seen their friends.
"They are so excited to go back."
Ms Jones said she was happy with the NSW government's decision to do surveillance testing.
"I think at the start, having a RAT every morning or every couple of mornings a week is going to be difficult. But I guess they'll get into a routine," she said.
"The home testing makes me feel confident that the kids can go back and stay at school.
"So I'm happy to do that testing to keep them there."
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