While teachers have to be vaccinated, students of any age do not face similar requirements and so teachers unions have been asking the state government to clarify safety measures around students and staff.

Jenna Woodland, the president of the Griffith Teacher's Association, said that it wasn't about teachers anymore but that student safety was the highest priority.

"What we're concerned about is the health and safety of our students, especially our primary students who are unvaccinated. Our main concern is that we're all going back to a safe environment," Ms Woodland said.

"Nobody wants to go back to online learning, we want to avoid that if possible but if teachers get infected - it can become a staffing issue, schools become non-operational."

Ms Woodland highlighted the frontline exemption as a possible problem, allowing frontline and essential workers to avoid isolating and return to work sooner but potentially spreading the notoriously infectious virus.

"If teachers are expected not to isolate and go to school, that's a concern because it puts students at risk. It's not an answer with nursing, and it's not an answer with us."

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Pam Smith, Acting Secretary of the Independent Education Union, said that they were calling for expedited booster shots for staff along with increased WHS provisions such as ventilation and access to COVID tests.

"At the moment, the situation is confusing for teachers, employers, parents and the union," Smith said.

"It is critical that everyone's health and safety is protected, otherwise the return to school could turn into a super spreader event."

Executive staff from the NSW Teacher's Federation will be meeting with the Department of Education on January 18 to clarify the plan going forward, following Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's announcement that Queensland schools would postpone opening for two weeks.

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