As a parent to a Year 12 student I am calling for the cancellation of the 2021 HSC  and stop the return of Year 12 students to school for face to face learning until it is safe! Our children's physical and mental health is more important than a HSC certificate! I understand that cancelling the HSC would be a big step but how else can we make this a fair situation for all? We are in uncertain times at the moment dealing with the Covid19 pandemic. As it stands the HSC is not an even playing field and our Year 12 students in locked down areas have been extremely disadvantaged. 

The NSW Premier announced that Year 12 students in locked down areas would be recommencing face to face learning on the 16th August. According to data from NSW health those in the 10-19 year old age group are at significant risk of catching Covid. As Marilyn Parker said on Twitter this morning "It is stupid to let unvaccinated Year 12 students move around the city to go to school. And it is outright criminal to expect unvaccinated teachers attend school to teach them." The case numbers continue to rise and there is no way that the situation will be under control by the 16th and all the students, teachers and their families will be put at risk, for what, a certificate? How about we prioritise getting them fully vaccinated instead of rushing them back to school for a certificate.  I'm sure that universities can accommodate for these extreme circumstances in creating other ways for the Year 12 students to gain entry, for example aptitude tests. 

Our Year 12 students have not only had to navigate some of Year 11 in lockdown last year and now those in Greater Sydney, Central Coast, Shellharbour/Wollongong and Blue Mountains areas have been in lockdown for all of Term 3, which is a crucial time for Year 12 with their trial exams and major project completion. Some students studying major work subjects such as Visual Arts, Drama, Design and Technology, Textiles and Design, Industrial Media, have had to completely redo their major projects because they cannot access the schools equipment, losing hours and hours of work. They have not been able to access the same amount of class time and major work time as the rest of NSW. This is effecting their mental health, fearing they will not be able to complete the HSC to the same standard as other students in non locked down areas. 

We need to vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate the majority school students and teachers and get this outbreak UNDER CONTROL before ALL students can return to school!