Governor Newsom has mandated vaccines for staff ahead of the 2021 school year.
As we come up on a new school year, it’s clear that Covid restrictions will continue to be a large presence for students and teachers. SFUSD recently announced that all employees will be required to get fully vaccinated against Covid-19, and anyone who is not vaccinated will have to undergo tests at least once a week. CA Governor Gavin Newsom just announced that this policy will also go in place at schools across the entire state.
So far, just over half of SFUSD employees have submitted their vaccination verification, but they have until August 31 to do so. SFUSD employees are those who serve positions in early education, elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, K-8 schools, county schools, and central offices.
Because we love our communities and care for our students, we took the lead on advocating for a vaccine requirement paired with testing. We will return to full in person instruction, welcoming students & families with excitement AND the safest possible conditions in a pandemic. https://t.co/0S9Po8FFq7
— UESF (@UESF) August 10, 2021
“To give parents confidence that their children are safe as schools return to full, in-person learning, we are urging all school staff to get vaccinated. Vaccinations are how we will end this pandemic,” said Governor Newsom. “As a father, I look forward to the start of the school year and seeing all California kids back in the classroom.”
SFUSD does not require students to be vaccinated, but 12-17 year-olds in SF have very high vaccination rates in any case. According to sf.gov, 32,500 out of the city’s total 33,938 12-17 year-olds have been vaccinated, which is almost 96%! This is largely attributed to SFUSD’s large promotion of vaccine resources.
This news comes on the heels of the announcement that all California state employees must be vaccinated as of August, which will affect about 246,000 total employees across the state.
Many schools in California have also introduced new programming in relation to the pandemic. According to a press release from Governor Newsom’s office, 95% of CA school districts have expanded mental health and wellness services; 73% have expanded after-school programs; and 85% have expanded learning acceleration programs including tutoring. A historic $123.9 billion K-12 package has been put into the works for the coming years.