The Education Minister is meeting with teaching unions amid concerns about reopening schools on Thursday.
Teaching unions say it's essential individual schools are allowed to choose how they re-open based on their particular circumstances.
The TUI wants schools to be able to make their own choice based on staff availability.
ASTI President Eamon Dennehy says teachers want to see a staggered return to school:
"Prioritising, for one thing that would say the exam years, the Junior Certs and the Leaving Certs, and make sure that there's as little disruption to their education as possible, and that's what we mean by that and of course the staggering then would mean that staff would be available for that number of students and it will be possibly maybe to have a more orderly start to the year."
