Seated in the Prime Minister's office with the Australian flag behind him, it was not the teachers or families mentioned in his video that Scott Morrison needed to convince.

As he stared down the barrel of the camera on Wednesday morning appealing for schools to remain open, some — including the state education ministers — likely saw something else: an attempt to use the bully pulpit of the Prime Minister's office to have them fall in line.

A "bully pulpit" was a term coined by early 20th Century US President Theodore Roosevelt, loosely defined as an amplified platform used to speak out and be listened to. At the time the word "bully" itself meant wonderful or superb.

In 2020, a bully — particularly in the schoolyard — means something much different.

And though Scott Morrison's tone was far from bullying, his message was firm.

"I want teachers to know both as a parent and a Prime Minister just how appreciated you are and how important the job is you are doing and how much you are needed," Mr Morrison said.

"We cannot allow a situation where parents are forced to choose between putting food on the table through their employment, to support their kids and their kids' education."

The state of play

State governments have told parents to keep their kids home where possible and have rushed to introduce remote learning.

The Prime Minister now says the education of Australia's school-age teenagers and children "hangs in the balance".

Federally, there are concerns about the digital divide and the equity issues where some parents don't have equal access, and the differences in the public and private systems.

This was exacerbated when Queensland Education Minister Grace Grace said two-to-three hours of home schooling was "enough", while parents across the nation have also raised concerns about crashes and bugs in new online systems.

The Prime Minister's message comes before National Cabinet meets again on Thursday, and will again consider the most divisive in Australia's coronavirus response: what to do about schools.

Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan called the video a "shout out" to teachers and asked parents to thank them.

But at least one educator wasn't impressed.

NSW Teachers Federation President Angelo Gavrielatos said the Prime Minister should "butt out".

"His statements are not helpful," he said.

"They have contributed to people's anxiety levels.

"Our teachers and principals turned themselves inside out over the last weeks of term one to get to remote learning. They are parents and grandparents. They too need to turn to their own families during this time of crisis."

He said he would continue to negotiate with the NSW Premier — and that's the rub for the Federal Government: schools have shown the limits of its power under federalism.

Same advice continues

The Federal Government's position has been the same from day one: schools are safe to open and they don't want a single child's education risked.

Nor do they want a single job lost because a parent stays home to look after their child.

That advice comes from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC), Australia's key decision-making committee for health emergencies.

And at a federal level there's frustration parents have ended up with mixed messages.

The states — led by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews — firmly undercut it.

They've told parents to stay home if they can.

Schools have stayed open for essential workers — that being anyone with a job — and vulnerable children, but in NSW attendance hit a low of five per cent.

These realities on the ground — and political heat — are much more acute in state parliaments, particularly in Sydney, Melbourne and in Brisbane, than in Canberra.

"Can you imagine if our reason for opening schools [was] because Scomo asked?" one education official told the ABC.

Victoria, which has gone back to school on Wednesday, wants its remote model to last for all of term two and Queensland, which will go back to school next week, wants it for the first five weeks.

The next move

New South Wales has the next two weeks off for Easter holidays. It is valuable time for it to decide on its next move.

A decision will likely be announced next week and a number of options are being looked at.

Informed sources are expecting remote learning to continue for at least two weeks, possibly a month.

Before governments asked for parents to keep their kids home absenteeism in the state was at 40 per cent.

Teachers were effectively teaching twice — remotely for the 60 per cent in classrooms and again for the 40 per cent at home.

It was considered untenable.

The states also say the Federal Government's position is confusing — people are told they can't go out, yet it's okay to go to school.

None were expecting the Prime Minister's video; it was not welcomed as a pleasant surprise.

The states' next move will determine if the PM's bully pulpit has any sway in 2020.