Were You a Principal, BOT Member During The 'COVID' Years?
If so, the NZ School Boards Association (was NZ School Trustee's Association - NZSTA) has opened a survey for you, to assist with their COVID Enquiry Submission
IMPORTANT: This is a call for individuals who were school board staff reps, student reps, parent reps, presiding members and principals in NZ during the COVID years (2020-2022) to have their say.
We recently learnt that the NZSBA (the new ‘official name’ in Te Reo above, it’s somewhat of a mouthful) has a survey available requesting feedback for their submission to the NZ Royal Commission into COVID-19 - Lessons Learned.
We contacted NZSBA and asked… “We have seen your survey for board members etc, for the Covid Enquiry. It appears to be worded for current members only. Can you please confirm whether or not it is available to board members who were on boards during 2020-2022 but who are not currently on boards?”
The response was “It did only go to current members, however it is open to those who have experience of what happened so that we can learn from those experiences”.
Are the right people being heard?
It’s somewhat questionable that this survey has not been sent to previous board members. Many who were on boards over these extremely challenging times, are no longer there.
Penny Marie from Let Kids Be Kids was on her local high school board as a parent-elected member, from 2019-2022. She saw and experienced many concerning things. She was a lone voice. She wasn’t treated very well at all. She searched for other board members in her situation, and at the time, they were very thin on the ground.
She saw the way schools had to jump and ask how high, when dealing with ‘traffic light’ systems’, continual disruptions, ever changing rules, challenges due to differing interpretations of ‘mandate’ and the impossible situation everyone in schools was in.
If you were on a school board over the ‘COVID’ years, you might want to complete the NZSBA survey, or you might want to have your say directly with the Royal Commission Of Enquiry: Lessons Learned. Links here:
A red flag: We don’t know how your feedback will be received by NZSBA
If you were on a school board over this tumultuous time, we recommend you check out Penny Marie’s recent report on USAID funding and it’s connections to Auckland University, because, unexpectedly, it links to how schools were required to respond to COVID.
And, concerningly, what she uncovered may in fact point to how feedback on the ‘pandemic response’ may be used to further toughen up procedures for ‘future pandemics’.
Here is her Substack…
And here is the YouTube…
Have your say before Friday 28th February
We also asked NZSBA when their survey closes. The date given is this Friday, February 28th.
The actual enquiry closes April 27th, so you have plenty of time if you’re going direct to the Royal Commission.
Please share your story with us
If you were on a school board over the COVID years and are making a submission to either NZSBA or the Inquiry directly, we would also love to hear your story. Please contact us, we would love to compile your story among those of others.
Thank you for supporting Let Kids Be Kids
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