University of Missouri tells employees they may need to follow COVID-19 vaccine order
The University of Missouri is advising its employees that they may be required to comply with a federal rule regarding COVID-19 vaccinations in the coming weeks.
The advisory comes in response to an executive order issued by President Joe Biden last month requiring vaccination and mask mandates for faculty, staff and student employees by Dec. 8. An email sent to university employees Tuesday afternoon by MU leaders says the university is still determining its response to those rules and “monitoring the national situation and legal interpretation” of them.
“As decisions are made and plans finalized, we will communicate further about how exactly these new requirements will apply to all four universities and other university facilities,” the email says. “In the meantime, we continue to encourage vaccination for those who have not done so already.”
Employees who have been vaccinated are also being encouraged to submit documented proof to the university. Doing so could help with developing “an efficient implementation policy if and when it is needed,” the email says.
Last month, the University of Kansas, Kansas State University and Wichita State University announced that they would implement a vaccine mandate for employees in accordance with the federal rule.
At the time, the UM system was still considering whether the federal order would apply. The system’s Board of Curators in September passed resolutions prohibiting any COVID-19 vaccine requirements for most students, faculty and staff, though that does not affect mandates currently in place for MU Health Care employees.
The curators would also need to approve any new vaccine rules for employees, a vote that would likely be contentious. Missouri Republican officials have vowed to oppose any federal vaccine requirements.
Attorney General Eric Schmitt and nine other state attorneys general filed a lawsuit Friday against the federal contractors’ vaccine mandate last week.
A day prior, Gov. Mike Parson issued an executive order that directs state agencies, boards and entities “within the executive branch” in Missouri not to require anyone to get a vaccine as a result of any federal rules if they have religious or medical objections. That order, however, appears to have little teeth as the state does not play a role in enforcing the federal rules.
