Don’t let your kids go to parties, begs principal as pupil infections soar

A principal’s impassioned plea to parents to stop their children from attending parties to prevent the spread of Covid-19 infections has gone viral.

Dawie Kriel, the principal of Hoërskool Noordheuwel in Krugersdorp, Gauteng, made the appeal in a video message on his school’s Facebook page on June 2, after five matrics tested positive after attending parties.

Between 30 to 40 other matrics were forced to go into isolation after coming into contact with the five.

According to the latest figures from the school, which was provided to Sunday Times Daily on Friday, a total of 43 pupils tested positive for the virus, including about 20 matrics who attended the so-called “40-day” parties recently.

Kriel said the “40-day” parties, according to matrics, marked the remaining 40 school days left until the end of the matric year but he added that this number was incorrect. 

In his message, he told parents that his teachers, who were in their 50s and 60s, were vulnerable to contracting the virus.

“We must take more responsibility. We must take responsibility for our children’s actions. We can’t allow our children to go to parties even if it’s five children or 50 children.”

He continued: “At this stage, it’s irresponsible. I plead with you to work hand in hand with the school to bring Covid under control. Keep them at home.”

His video message has so far garnered more than 337,500 views.

Kriel told Sunday Times Daily he was very glad that so many people had looked at the video and appreciated his message.

“More than 90% of the messages received in response to the video were very positive,” he said.

The number of pupils testing positive for the virus at other schools, according to figures supplied to Sunday Times Daily included:

• Hoërskool Rustenburg in North West: 33; and

• King Edward VII in Johannesburg: 9.

Hennie Pieterse, principal of Hoërskool Rustenburg, said he was forced to close the school from Wednesday to Friday last week after about 193 pupils were absent on Monday and Tuesday.

The 33 positive cases at his school were recorded from May 31 onwards.

He said that four teachers had also been infected.

“The big problem is that parents are not taking responsibility. They allow learners to go to parties and that’s where they are picking up the virus.”

Pieterse said that if the number of absentees drops on Monday, “we made the right call by closing school”.

The principal of King Edward VII, David Lovatt, told parents in a letter on Friday that of the nine pupils who tested positive in the past eight days, four were in matric.

“Two of the cases in grade 12 can be traced to an external school gathering.”

He urged parents not to allow their sons “to go out and socialise during this heightened period of infection (third wave)”.

“Please do not allow sleepovers or house parties,” he wrote.

We must take more responsibility. We must take responsibility for our children’s actions. We can’t allow our children to go to parties even if it’s five children or 50 children.

—  Dawie Kriel, principal of Hoërskool Noordheuwel in Krugersdorp

Two deputy principals of Hoërskool Linden in Johannesburg told parents in a letter on Friday that grades eight to 11 pupils would remain at home from Monday to Friday and continue with online learning.

The school said this was because of the high number of pupils who were isolating at home after family members contracted Covid-19.

The move to keep the pupils at home was also to prevent the further spread of the virus and to ensure that pupils would be able to write assessments that start on June 14.

The letter stated that it was of cardinal importance for parents to take responsibility for the pupils during the “isolation study week”.

“There is no value in keeping the learners at home if they still recklessly attend parties and gatherings,” the school said.