Canberra students return to school this week but under differing COVID-19 rules that depend on where they are enrolled.
Term 2 has begun for ACT public schools, which have retained the stricter measures that were in place during the first term.
That includes a ban on close contacts — people who live with someone infected with COVID-19 — attending class.
Teachers and high school students must also continue to wear masks while indoors, and any adults who need to enter school grounds must sign in via the CBR Check In app.
These rules, which are tighter than those required under the ACT's recently relaxed health orders, will remain in place for at least two weeks.
However, Catholic and independent schools, most of which reopen on Wednesday, will not retain the tougher measures.
ACT Education Minister Yvette Berry acknowledged that the public schools' policy would frustrate some families.
But she said it would give the government more time to consult teachers about how to manage their health and safety.
"Term 1 of this year was particularly challenging … for our schools," Ms Berry said.
"And so we wanted to make sure that our school staff and teachers got a good break.
Meanwhile, Catholic system schools will allow students to attend class from Wednesday, even if they are a household contact, as long as they record a negative result on a rapid antigen test.
Merici College deputy principal Renee Taylor said masks would not be compulsory at the senior school but would be recommended.
"We would still strongly encourage our student population to wear masks indoors, especially when in smaller classrooms and smaller room environments, to be able to minimise that risk of transmission."
Independent private school principals met on Tuesday afternoon and announced the schools would also allow household contacts to attend campuses from Wednesday.
The schools will also phase out mandatory mask use by the end of the week.
Speaking ahead of the decision, Carol Matthews, the deputy head of the ACT/NSW Independent Education Union, said it was near impossible to maintain adequate social distancing in schools.
COVID-19 restrictions for the general ACT community change after 11:59pm Tuesday, when close contacts will no longer need to isolate for seven days.
The ACT outbreak has been growing in recent weeks, with infection numbers close to the peak reached in January.
There are now 69 patients with the disease in Canberra hospitals, the second-highest ever reported.
Parents, volunteers may soon be allowed back in schools
Parents have been mostly barred from entering school grounds since Canberra's COVID-19 outbreak began in August last year.
Ms Berry acknowledged that some school communities were keen to allow parents to return to help with classes and other activities.
"Every time I speak to the students … they say we cannot wait to get our school community back in, volunteers that helped with reading [and] in so many capacities that ease the load on teachers," she said.
"And we're just asking for everybody else in the school communities to just bear with us for a little while longer while we go through that consultation process.
About 62 per cent of Canberra students are in the public school system, though this drops to 53 per cent for those in years 7 to 10.
School closed for extra week after violence ended classes
Meanwhile, Calwell High School in Canberra's south will be closed this week to allow staff to recover from multiple violent and unsafe incidents.
Classes for years 7 and 8 students ended early last term, after WorkSafe ACT issued a prohibition notice to the school, citing multiple examples of violence on campus.
In the notice, the watchdog said the school's environment posed an "imminent risk to health and safety of those teachers, staff members and students".
Ms Berry said Calwell High would be closed to students this week while the Education Directorate increased the school's workforce.
"School staff will be taking this week off to reset and just go over their policies again, to make sure that we have the staffing in place for students to return next week," she said.
"It is a great school and we want to make sure that we support them to get back to normal as much as possible for the rest of term 2."
Ms Berry said her directorate had also added two executive teachers and an "experienced school principal" to support the school in term 2.
