Divine Mercy College Principal Adam Zydek’s alleged threats to close his school over mandatory COVID-19 vaccination shows a callous disregard for the safety and wellbeing of the school’s staff and community.
Mr. Zydek has voiced his opposition to the WA Government’s proposed COVID-19 vaccine mandate, citing controversial anti-science arguments for his position in discussions with staff.
It is the IEU’s understanding that all except 4 staff members at Divine Mercy College are already fully vaccinated and do not share the views of Mr. Zydek.
By choosing to close the school rather than be vaccinated, Mr Zydek will be putting his anti-vaccination beliefs ahead of the livelihoods of more than fifty staff working at the school, who will be forced to find new jobs for the new year at very late notice.
Divine Mercy College staff are committed and passionate educators concerned about the prospects of students for the next year. They do not deserve to be subjected to this undue stress – let alone during Term 4, an already stressful time in schools.
Mr. Zydek has not informed his staff of the status of the school for 2022. At a meeting called on Wednesday 17 November, Mr. Zydek instead chose to distribute anti-vaccination materials to his staff.
There has not been proper consultation with staff and union representatives as required by the relevant employment awards.
The IEUWA will support its members and the staff at Divine Mercy College during this unnecessarily stressful time. The IEU also calls on the school’s governing body to remove the Principal so the staff can concentrate on delivering quality education to their students.
Quotes attributable to IEUWA Branch Secretary Rebecca Collopy:
“Staff are all very scared because it’s a bit late in the year to be applying for jobs”
“This is the most stressful time of the year in any school. Staff do not need this added stress, to not know whether they’ve got a job, to be able to go and buy Christmas presents, pay bills and look after their families.”
“The IEUWA will fight for our members’ entitlements if he closes the school down.”