UPDATE: AUG. 13 AT 9 A.M.
Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal held a press conference Friday morning to address his call on Gov. Inslee to require vaccines for all K-12 teachers and staff.
Reykdal said in order to stay on track, and keep kids in class, more safety precautions have to be taken. He said mask and vaccine requirements will help keep schools open. Without these extra precautions, “we will have to close schools.”
Reykdal said the Delta variant is making the risk “imminent once more.”
“Thankfully, we’re not seeing the hospitalizations for those who have been vaccinated,” Reykdal said. “Vaccines work.”
The state superintendent said he’s confident the governor will make the right decision. He said he expects an announcement from the governor next week.
However, Reykdal wanted to make it clear: The vaccination mandate he’s recommending is not for students. It’s for teachers and staff in the Washington school system, and there are medical and religious exemptions they can take. He said it’s not “get a vaccination or lose your job.”
Right now, the COVID-19 vaccine is not approved for all ages. If that time comes, Reykdal said he supports a vaccination mandate for students.
“Families understand the power of vaccines,” Reykdal said.
Right now, Reykdal is encouraging all students and staff who are eligible for the vaccine to get it.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal is asking Governor Jay Inslee to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for all K-12 teachers and staff.
In a letter sent to the governor, Reykdal says he is “strongly encouraging you to issue an executive order requiring all employees working in public K-12 schools to get their vaccination against COVID-19 as a condition of employment.”
Reykdal recalls Inslee’s decision to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for state employees and licensed healthcare providers. He also says that students potentially losing time for in-person learning due to COVID-19 causing quarantines and even school closures is “a real threat.”
Reykdal also urges Inslee that if he does decide to mandate vaccination for school employees to allow medical and religious exemptions, consistent with his order to mandate vaccination for state employees.
“In consulting with several of our partners and stakeholders in K-12 education,” Rekydal writes, “I was told unequivocally that if you are going to make the decision to require the vaccine for school employees, it will make a significant difference if that decision is made as soon as possible.”
You can read the entire letter by clicking here.
