Tacoma Public Schools hits 98 percent vaccination rate, but 94 employees terminated

Tacoma Public Schools reported Tuesday that 97.9 percent of its employees are either fully vaccinated or have an approved exemption in compliance with Gov. Jay Inslee’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Monday was the deadline for school employees to provide evidence they’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, per the governor’s mandate issued in August. The mandate also applied to most state workers and thousands of healthcare workers.

Tacoma Public Schools has 4,482 employees in Tacoma. While the vast majority are vaccinated, 304 were approved for either medical or religious exemptions.

Tacoma Public Schools spokesperson Dan Voelpel said the district reported 94 employees not within compliance. All 94 were terminated as of Tuesday.

Of the 94 positions, six were full-time employees, 40 were hourly employees who only worked for the district on occasion and 48 were substitutes.

Voelpel said many of the substitutes were listed as qualified to work for the district but have not done so this school year.

The terminations have not caused any notable disruptions to school operations, Voelpel said.

“We are thankful for our staff members districtwide who overwhelmingly responded to comply with the governor’s mandate. Together, we are doing our part of keep each other and our students safe,” Voelpel said.

This story was originally published October 20, 2021 at 5:00 AM.