Washington state imposes strictest school vaccine mandate

WASHINGTON, FLORIDA • All teachers and school personnel in Washington state - including coaches, bus drivers and volunteers - will need to be fully vaccinated as a condition of employment, under a new policy.

The requirement applies to staff regardless of the type of school in which they work: public, charter or private.

The policy is the strictest vaccine mandate imposed to date by any state for teachers and other staff members in schools, allowing for only a few exceptions.

School staff must be vaccinated by Oct 18 or face possible dismissal.

Vaccine mandates have been hotly debated across the country, with a quarter of states, generally those led by Republicans, banning vaccine requirements for public employees like school staff.

But in recent days, some Democratic officials have moved to require the shots.

Governor Gavin Newsom of California has offered teachers in public and private schools the option of either vaccination or regular virus testing.

City school systems in Los Angeles and Chicago have gone further to require staff vaccination, though there is an exemption process for those with disabling medical conditions or sincerely held religious beliefs.

Washington's policy goes further than California's. There is no option to choose regular testing instead of vaccination.

There are limited exceptions, however, including for legitimate medical reasons and sincerely held religious beliefs.

Those who refuse to get vaccinated will be subject to dismissal.

Washington lagged behind most of the rest of the nation in reopening schools during the past academic year, as teachers' unions across the state pushed for longer periods of remote learning, stricter virus safety measures in classrooms and access to vaccines for educators.

All districts are planning to return to in-person learning five days a week this autumn. Most districts reopen in early September.

Leaders of the two national teachers' unions, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, have said they support vaccine mandates for school staff.

Florida's largest school district on Wednesday imposed a mask mandate in defiance of the state's governor, the latest chapter in the coronavirus political battle in the southern United States where new infections are highest.

At a day-long meeting that grew contentious at times, the Miami-Dade County School Board voted to require most of the district's 360,000 students, as well as staff, to wear face coverings when classes begin on Monday.

Governor Ron DeSantis previously placed a ban on local mask mandates.

The requirement, which the board approved by a 7-1 vote following the recommendation of its superintendent, exempts students who cannot wear masks for medical reasons.

Governor DeSantis last month signed an executive order barring local officials from imposing mask mandates.

Like some other Republican governors, he has called mask-wearing a personal choice which for students should be made by parents.

Miami-Dade joins at least two other counties that have bucked the governor's order.

The state Board of Education on Tuesday voted unanimously to punish Broward and Alachua counties for mandating masks in schools in defiance of the governor's order, local media reported.

They are the first to be punished, although no specific actions have been taken against them, the local media said.

Covid-19 deaths in the US reached a five-month high on Tuesday. Over 1,000 people were reported to have died on Tuesday, the most in one day since March.

The death toll spiked over the past month to a daily average of 769, according to a Reuters tally.

NYTIMES, REUTERS