Tacoma schools, teachers’ union move to comply with Inslee’s COVID-19 vaccine order
After Gov. Jay Inslee announced Wednesday he would expand COVID-19 vaccine requirements to include K-12 school staff, leaders at Tacoma Public Schools were working to comply with the new state requirements.
Tacoma Public Schools serves nearly 30,000 students as the largest public school district in Pierce County and employs nearly 5,000 people.
District spokesperson Dan Voelpel said the district would set up a formal tracking system to determine vaccination status of its employees under the state’s requirements.
School employees will have until Oct. 18 to be fully vaccinated as a condition of employment, according to the new state mandate. The state will allow for medical or religious exemptions.
Prior to today’s announcement, employees could voluntarily share with Tacoma Public Schools whether or not they received the vaccine.
Voelpel said via text that all employees will have to provide proof of vaccinations or file for a medical or religious exemption.
Asked about push back over getting the vaccine as a condition of employment, Voelpel said the district had not received any up to now because it was voluntary.
Shannon Ergun, president of the Tacoma Education Association, said the union will work with all members to ensure they have access to resources to get vaccinated or provide documentation for an exemption.
“I believe in doing all we can as individuals to support the health and safety of society,” Ergun said in an emailed statement. “I believe in following the guidance of medical professionals as experts in this field who have clearly stated that masks, distancing as much as possible, and vaccines protect the health and safety of everyone.”
Ergun said there might be a few TEA members who feel that “getting the vaccine does not meet their own health and safety needs.”
“As a labor union, we will ensure members are supported, in the ways that we can, to make their own choices about whether or not they access the vaccine,” Ergun said.
Those who refuse the vaccines will be subject to dismissal, according to the Governor’s Office.
The COVID-19 vaccine mandates do not extend to students at this point. Mandated student vaccines are handled through a different process involving federal recommendations and the state health department.
The state requirement covers public, private and charter schools but does not include tribal schools.
This story was originally published August 18, 2021 at 4:11 PM.
