Amsterdam, Rotterdam school leaders plead for secondary schools to reopen

The leaders of secondary schools in Amsterdam and Rotterdam asked the Ministry of Education to also allow their pupils to return to school. They are worried about the "development and well-being" of their pupils, they said in a letter to Minister Arie Slob for Primary and Secondary Education, NOS reports.

The school leaders want secondary schools to open after spring break. They also asked that they not be held to social distancing, calling it "impossible" to provide good education at a distance of 1.5 meters. 

They acknowledged that opening secondary schools will entail coronavirus risks."However, the risks for pupils are greater if we keep the schools closed." To reduce the risk of the virus spreading in schools, teachers should be given priority for coronavirus vaccination, they said.

Primary schools were allowed to reopen their doors, with extra measures against the coronavirus, this week. According to the Dutch health authorities, young children play a relatively small role in spreading the coronavirus compared to teenagers and adults.