Kansas City school district mandates COVID vaccines for all staff, or weekly testing
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Kansas City COVID-19 news
As the delta variant of the COVID-19 virus surges across the Kansas City region, officials, hospitals and communities have had to react. Here is our latest coverage.
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Kansas City Public Schools will require all staff members to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, or agree to weekly testing, as classes begin later this month.
Officials discussed the mandate at Wednesday night’s school board meeting, and said they believe Kansas City is the first district in the region and the state to issue such a requirement. Superintendent Mark Bedell said the district’s mandate is similar to that in Jackson County, which also is requiring staff to get vaccinated.
“Our salaries are paid through taxpayers’ money. A large share of our funding comes through property taxes here within the boundaries that we serve. So with that responsibility also comes a reasonable expectation that we do everything in our power as adults to be prepared to provide the social, emotional and academic needs of our students, and to be ready to meet that despite challenges that may come our way,” Bedell said.
“We have that responsibility. And for that, it is critical that we as a school district take a strong position.”
Bedell said that staff with proof of vaccination will not be required to use personal leave time if they are required to isolate or quarantine due to a COVID-19 exposure. In that same situation, unvaccinated staff will be required to use personal time. He said officials will take medical and religious accommodations into account.
The district has offered staff vaccinations and testing on site. Like most districts in the Kansas City area, it also is requiring all staff and students to wear masks inside school buildings. And officials will implement three feet of social distancing when possible. Classes begin Aug. 23.
The decision comes as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to surge in the metro, while vaccination rates lag. On the Missouri side of the region, more than 40% of residents are fully vaccinated, according to data from the Mid-America Regional Council. On the Kansas side, more than 53% have been vaccinated.
The district has so far received less visible pushback to its COVID-19 mitigation strategies, compared to districts in the suburbs. Some suburban districts, which have faced ongoing protests over mask requirements, have made it clear that they will not be asking staff for proof of vaccination.
This story was originally published August 12, 2021 at 12:03 PM.
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