The new directive banning social gatherings of more than five people on Oahu does not apply to public schools, but the Hawaii State Teachers Association thinks it should.

The union believes that no students should be on campus and teachers should be working from home as well — unless they choose to come to their classrooms.

“The governor, the health director and the Department of Education, all of them need to ask this one basic question — is it safe to open up our schools?” HSTA President Corey Rosenlee said at a news conference Tuesday. “And right now the evidence is no.”

The academic year began Monday with some schools welcoming groups of students to campus on alternate days to get oriented on distance learning. Other principals decided to keep students at home and launch the school year remotely from Day One, with just teachers on campus.

Distance learning is now set to run until Sept. 11 but some students with special needs are still expected to come to campus for required services. Gov. David Ige noted at his press conference Tuesday public schools are an “essential serv­ice” and therefore exempt from the latest restrictions.

“I want to thank everyone for their commitment in supporting the successful reopening of schools,” Ige said. “There is much more work to be done. It is very important that our children have the opportunity to further their education.”

Asked whether he would encourage principals to allow teachers to work from home, the governor demurred.

“We certainly will be looking at what the need in each individual situation would be and would be taking them up on a case-by-case basis,” he said.

Rosenlee contends that principals have too much say in whom they bring on campus, whether students or teachers. And he faulted the Department of Health for failing to provide metrics for when schools should open or close.

“HSTA has been asking that we go to 100% distance learning for all students across the state until at least the end of the quarter,” Rosenlee said. “And that is what we are hoping the governor, the Board of Education and the superintendent will do.”

“Right now it is the Wild West out there when it comes to what principals are doing,” he said.

The union believes that teachers should be able to work from home just like their students, rather than being required to report for duty on campus.

“We want teachers across the state to have the option of going in and working from their classrooms,” he said. “We wish it was an option. The deep concern we have is this. My school (Campbell High) has over 200 teachers and they are all required to be there. That is not a safe environment.”

Campbell, the state’s largest school with nearly 3,000 students, had planned to bring everyone to its Ewa Beach campus on a staggered basis this week for orientation but downsized to only those students who needed support with digital access.