Some local school districts requiring COVID vaccines for staff; will students be next?
Some local school districts are requiring staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Orange County Schools staff must be vaccinated by Sept. 23.
Some parents will be protesting that and other topics ahead of their board meeting Monday evening.
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools board of education voted to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for all employees by Oct. 31.
The Durham Public Schools' board directed staff to bring a plan for a staff vaccine mandate at their Sept. 23 board meeting, that would be effective Oct. 31
"There will be exemptions allowed for medical and religious purposes," said Durham Public Schools spokesperson Chip Sudderth. "Those are going to be fairly limited and drawn very carefully. Our board is absolutely committed to maintaining the safety of all of our students and staff, and they see that vaccination is the way to go."
The Los Angeles Unified School District has mandated COVID-19 vaccines for students ages 12 and older.
Sudderth said Durham Public Schools is concentrating on staff right now.
ABC11 spoke to parents for and against these vaccine mandates for teachers.
"Vaccines save lives, and they lessen the impact of the disease, if you break it through," said John Scarborough, Wake County parent for teacher vaccines. "We have three staff members at my child's school who have reported infections. I don't know if they're vaccinated or not and I hope they get well soon. But we don't need to lose any more lives to this disease."
"I think it is government control," said Tonya McFalls, an Orange County mother against a mandate that all district staff get vaccinated. "I think it should not be mandatory. It should be an option. It should not be mandatory."
A Wake County Public School System spokesperson said the district will present options at the next board meeting for the board to consider. The spokesperson says they have not yet prepared those options, so it is too early to say if staff mandates will be included.
"The board's in a tough place, but I really think they need to step up and make the right decision," Scarborough said. "Vaccinations should be mandatory."
