Some Auckland parents are frustrated the Ministry of Health will not let their children return to boarding schools in other regions.
Parents of boarding school students from Auckland say their children's schools are no longer providing remote learning (file image). Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
They say their schools are no longer providing much remote learning and their children are missing out.
Jane Migounoff from Pukekohe said she and other families estimated about 150 children in the Franklin area alone were affected by the problem.
"Pukekohe is part of Auckland so we're currently in level 3 and the schools that our children attend are sitting in level 2. The schools are operating with students in class and our children can't attend, so they're not learning," she said.
The schools tried to provide some remote learning, but that was difficult for teachers who were also teaching regular classes, Migounoff said.
"They are trying but they're just not set up. They told us that they cannot provide classroom teaching and an online platform so it's just not ideal and if this keeps going on, what do we do."
Boarding students were allowed travel exemptions last time Auckland was in alert level 3 but this time applications for her daughter to travel to boarding school in Hamilton were denied twice at level 4 and again yesterday at level 3, Migounoff said.
There was little risk of spreading Covid-19 because the children had been in lockdown for five weeks, required negative Covid-19 tests, and would not be travelling between home and school every day, she said.
"People that return from Covid-ravaged countries only have to isolate for two weeks. These children have been isolating for five weeks and we still can't move forward, we can't find a way to get them across the border, we just keep getting 'no'."
It was unlikely a change would happen in time to help students before their holidays began, but Migounoff hoped it could be altered so children were not disadvantaged by future lockdowns.
The Ministry of Health said travel out of Auckland into less controlled alert level 2 regions, including Waikato, was highly restricted to minimise the potential spread of the Covid-19 virus.
"Accordingly, under the current alert levels, students living in Auckland are not able to cross the Auckland alert level boundary to attend schools in other regions. We appreciate the disruption this will cause, but the highly transmissible Delta variant means strong precautions are necessary," it said.