The grandfather of a girl with a rare health condition has praised staff at her school for their swift action after a confirmed case of coronavirus.
Allan Petrie said 11 year-old Megan’s life can be put at risk by common illnesses such as cold and flu but staff at Kingspark in Dundee “bend over backwards” to keep pupils safe.
It comes after an adult connected to the school tested positive for coronavirus on Monday.
The school has since had to close after cases roses to six.
Mr Petrie, who is the full time carer for his granddaughter, Megan, said teachers and healthcare staff at the additional support needs school had done everything possible to minimise the risk of the virus spreading.
Megan has FOXG1 syndrome, which impacts brain development. She is one of just five children in Scotland, and 500 worldwide, with the condition.
Mr Petrie said: “Every single year our kids’ lives are at threat with things like the flu because they have complex needs and the school staff bend over backwards to make sure they are safe.
“I wasn’t concerned about sending her back.
“The school has been open through the whole pandemic so they already had the procedures in place and they know what they are doing.
“This is a killer disease so I think it is natural for people to panic but the school staff have been tremendous and have done everything they could possibly have done.
“Nobody takes on a job like that lightly, they do it because they care about the kids and want the best for them.”
Complaints have been made about how parents were alerted to the outbreak, with the head teacher Paul Dow, posting a message on the school app at lunchtime on Tuesday.
Some parents said they did not receive the message and found out on social media but Mr Petrie said staff had acted as quickly as they could.
“They sent a message on the app early and then updated it another twice during the day,” he said.
“There were complaints about the app not working so they have been sending texts now too.
“They school has been in touch with the health board and public health staff are still in there assessing the situation to make sure it is as safe as possible.
“I don’t think it has spread because it has been dealt with very quickly.
“I hope that whoever it is makes a very quick recovery because I think people forget about the person who has actually tested positive.”
Despite initially stating the special needs school would remain open, Dundee City Council and NHS Tayside reversed the decision after the number of Covid-19 cases rose to six on Wednesday afternoon.
Families were being informed by the head teacher that the school will not be open for pupils on Thursday and Friday of this week. A decision on if the school can reopen next week will be made at a later date.
