Tracking COVID-19: Groups push back on vaccine mandates for educators

Iowa's mask mandate ban faces federal civil rights inquiry  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  TRACKING THE COVID-19 VACCINE Aug 30, 2021 Some of the biggest school systems in the U.S. are taking a hard line with teachers and staff members who are not yet vaccinated against COVID-19: Get a jab or lose your job. Most teachers already are vaccinated, and national teachers’ unions have endorsed vaccine mandates, but the policies have sparked protests from educators and, in some cases, pushback from local district leaders who fear large numbers of departures. In Oregon, where school staffers statewide are required to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18, the board for the 7,500-student district of Redmond last week passed a resolution protesting the mandate and mandatory mask-wearing in schools after "significant" opposition. "This could do serious damage to the other mandate that we have, which is to provide excellent education to the children and the families of our district," board member Michael Summers said. "We're attempting to speak for people." Teachers in many school districts with vaccine requirements can opt out as long as they submit to regular testing for the coronavirus, but New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago and St. Louis are among a growing list of places that are limiting exemptions to bona fide medical and religious reasons. Washington and Oregon have adopted similarly strict vaccination policies statewide. As a new school year begins, governments are taking a harder line on vaccinations to ward off the highly contagious delta variant. Coronavirus vaccines are not yet available to children younger than 12. "This is to ensure that the children we all cherish are safe, that their families are reassured," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, said last week. Underscoring the risks of infection in classrooms, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention presented a case study in its weekly report Friday detailing how an unvaccinated teacher in Marin County, California, north of San Francisco, spread the virus to 22 of the instructor's 24 students at school. The CDC said the teacher sometimes read aloud to the students while unmasked. TOP STORIES Iowa's mask mandate ban faces federal civil rights inquiry » Iowa Poison Control warns against using Ivermectin » Nonprofit works to address need for early education in Iowa » Everything to know about COVID-19 vaccines in Iowa » MORE STORIES US declares public health emergency as Gulf Coast hospitals battle COVID-19, Ida aftermath » Here's how to prevent another 100,000 COVID-19 deaths by December, according to Fauci » School COVID-19 vaccine mandates are a 'good idea,' Fauci says » 'All hands on deck': What happens when an ICU reaches capacity? » MANAGE YOUR ACCOUNT If you'd like to receive some of our other email newsletters, you can tap or click the links below: Be among the first to receive National Breaking News or Local Breaking News as stories break. Catch up on the day's big stories with our Morning Headlines and Afternoon Digest newsletters. Receive our Daily Forecasts or get Severe Weather Alerts sent straight to your email inbox. Manage your email newsletter subscriptions » For the very latest information, download our free apps To ensure email delivery, add newsletters@e.kcci.com to your address book or safe senders list © 2021 Hearst Television Inc. 300 W 57th Street, New York NY 10019 Privacy Notice | Terms of Use | Unsubscribe