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.
