Parents Voice in Government School Education

Rule changes for school visitors

The Victorian Government has announced some important changes to COVIDSafe measures for schools that will apply from the start of Term 2.

You’ll see below that visitors to schools (including parents) are no longer required to show evidence of vaccination. However, evidence of vaccination is still required if you are volunteering at the school, as specified in the Policy and Advisory Library.

Face masks

From 11:59 pm Friday 22 April, face masks, while recommended, are not required in any school setting. This means students in grades 3 to 6, staff and visitors in primary schools are no longer required to wear face masks. Any student or staff member who wishes to wear a mask may do so, including those who are medically at-risk.

Screening requirements

Students who have tested positive for COVID-19, and have completed their 7-day isolation period, now do not need to undertake rapid antigen test (RAT) screening for 12 weeks after their release from isolation. This was previously 8 weeks.

Household contacts

Students who are household contacts of a COVID-19 case are not required to quarantine. They may return to school as long as they undertake rapid antigen tests (RAT) 5 times during their 7-day period. They are required to notify the school that they are a household contact.

Students aged 8 years and above who are household contacts are required to wear face masks when indoors at school unless they have a valid exemption.

If a student household contact returns a positive RAT result, they must isolate for 7 days.

Vaccination requirements for visitors to schools

Parents, carers and other adult visitors (not performing work) are no longer required to show evidence of two doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

RAT screening program reminder

RATs will continue to be supplied for the first 4 weeks of Term 2 to support the early detection of COVID-19 in schools.

The testing recommendations will remain the same this Term for students and staff with:

  • mainstream schools – recommended to test at home twice a week
  • specialist schools – recommended to test 5 days a week at home due to the higher risk of severe illness for medically vulnerable children.

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