COVID-19 Vaccination Required for Teachers
In addition to their lesson plans, teachers are now required to be vaccinated or tested weekly for COVID-19, according to a mandate issued last week by Governor Gavin Newsom.
The policy will impact both public and private schools and will impact teachers and administrators as well as support staff, such as cafeteria workers, custodial workers, and volunteers.
“We think this is the right thing to do, and we think this is a sustainable way to keeping our schools open and to address the number one anxiety that parents like myself have for young children,” said Newsom at an event last Wednesday. “That is knowing that the schools are doing everything in their power to keep our kids safe.”
In-person instruction for Castro Valley schools returned in April after nearly a year strictly behind computer screens. Of the three groups that provide education in Castro Valley—Castro Valley Unified, Redwood Christian, Oakland Diocese—CVUSD’s 16 campuses were last to bring large numbers of students and teachers back to the classroom. By contrast, CVUSD was the first to adopt the policy of vaccinating teachers or frequent testing before the Governor’s statewide mandate announcement.
“All employees are required to be vaccinated for COVID-19. Until verified as fully vaccinated, all unvaccinated employees will be required to test weekly for COVID-19,” said Castro Valley Unified School District Superintendent, Parvin Ahmadi.
The district currently offers weekly testing at the Center for the Arts lobby on Redwood Road from Monday through Friday from 12:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Mark Mladinich, who currently serves as Castro Valley Teachers Association President, said his members support the district’s choice.
“Unvaccinated people in Alameda County are becoming infected at eight times the rate of those who are vaccinated. Since we have no more social distancing protections in our schools, we strongly support extra safety precautions for those staff who are unvaccinated. Our goal is to keep our students, staff, and the community safe, and mandatory testing contributes to this goal.”
“Unvaccinated people in Alameda County are becoming infected at eight times the rate of those who are vaccinated,” Mladinich told the Forum. “Since we have no more social distancing protections in our schools, we strongly support extra safety precautions for those staff who are unvaccinated. Our goal is to keep our students, staff, and the community safe, and mandatory testing contributes to this goal.”
The most recent concern is the Delta variant of the coronavirus. The variant typically impacts the upper airways more than the original strain even in individuals who are fully vaccinated. Even those who are even partially vaccinated may contract COVID-19, be asymptomatic, and not feel its effects.
While FDA-approved vaccines are available for people ages 12 and older, state health officials are requiring all students to wear face coverings indoors and in close proximity to others and to try to remain socially distant to prevent the virus from spreading.
“Schools will have a mixed population of both people who are fully vaccinated and people who are not fully vaccinated,” said Dr. Tomás Aragón, State Public Health Officer and Director. “These variations require K-12 administrators to make decisions about the use of COVID-19 prevention strategies in their schools to protect people who are not fully vaccinated. Together with local public health officials, school administrators should consider multiple factors when they make decisions about im- plementing layered prevention strategies against COVID-19.”