THE NSW government has been condemned for heightening anxiety by not making a quick decision on whether Victorian border students will be allowed to continue to attend schools north of the Murray River.
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On Wednesday, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said it was a "developing issue", with Victoria's stage three changes for regional areas, which were announced on Sunday, sparking a review.
"We need to firstly look at what restrictions the Victorian Premier is putting on his own citizens and then for us to be able to respond to that in an appropriate way," Ms Berejiklian said.
"Our intention is not to change anything that currently exists in those defined border areas, but if the Victorian Premier makes a decision that affects the Victorian side of the border, that's his decision.
"It may unintentionally impact us in NSW."
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The president of the Riverina branch of the Independent Education Union of Australia, Simon Goss, who teaches in Albury, said it was frustrating that NSW was not acting more promptly and allowing uncertainty to build.
"It just causes stress to parents and causes stress to the teachers and students," he said.
"Teachers have been saying 'what's going on?' and principals don't know.
"We just wish if they had something to say they would say it.
"It's the NSW government, they're deciding who can and can't come over the border for arbitrary reasons.
"If the medical advice is clear that schools are safe then they are safe."
Member for Albury Justin Clancy said he met NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the issue and it remained unresolved.
However, he expected any change to "probably fall on students outside the border zone", meaning those inside the blue area such as Wodonga would be free to keep attending classes in Albury.
Mr Clancy urged parents to follow the advice of schools in the meantime.
He acknowledged the uncertainty over the issue was creating tension for students, teachers and parents.
"I've made it quite clear there's been no formal communication and this amplifies the concerns of our community and I've indicated that directly to the Premier," he said.
A Victorian government figure said cross border access to schools north of the Murray River was an issue for NSW to decide.
Meanwhile, the commercial plane flights on the Melbourne-Albury-Wagga route run by Regional Express will be suspended indefinitely from tomorrow.
Ms Berejiklian said on Wednesday that passengers embarking on services from Victoria into NSW would only be able to land at Sydney airport to tighten coronavirus control.
Those travellers will also have enter mandatory hotel quarantine for 14 days at their own expense after landing in Sydney.
Rex had been flying Melbourne-Albury-Wagga services on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays.
The airline stopped daily runs after coronavirus emerged in March.
