@@ Covid Thread week 1/19

[rubytue]

This fits here. Tennessee is looking to deny part or all funding from school systems that don’t have 70 in person days of the 180 required days.

So yeah, everyone feeling this is the death of public schools, leave it to assholes in Tennessee to put it on paper.
wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=HB7021

[wanderingback]

Jan 19, 2021 21:49:24 GMT -5 meganew said:

Jan 19, 2021 21:33:24 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

Have there been talks where you are about mandating teachers to get vaccinated?
Just curious if other professions are talking about this. I haven't heard anything in my profession and there are people opting not to get vaccinated for a variety of reasons (plus it's not even available to all health care workers yet either). I think mostly no one has made it mandatory yet because the vaccines are still under emergency authorization. I know everywhere I've worked now and previously the flu vaccine isn't required, but if you don't get it you're supposed to wear a mask at work during flu season (which is almost half the year).

Just curious how it'll work for the teaching profession if schools can't open until everyone is vaccinated. 

We can't mandate it, but our principal sent out an email to the entire staff asking if we were going to get the vaccination when it became available. They said they wanted to get a rough number for planning purposes. Out of the 8 teachers I work closely with I know at least 2 or 3 who don't want to get it. It's infuriating. 

ETA: I'm wondering if they won't have unvaccinated staff continue to WFH as long as there are students who choose virtual learning. 

Yeah where I work we're also keeping track of who is getting vaccinated as well (at all 3 of my jobs).
We're mostly wondering if public health guidelines are going to change in regards to exposures for people that are vaccinated vs not vaccinated, but we certainly can't change people's job description like wfh more if they don't want to get vaccinated or have a contraindication. It's certainly not mandatory right now for people to tell us if they're vaccinated or not, but I wonder if that'll change on our yearly health assessments.
Yeah not all of our health care staff is getting vaccinated either.

[erbear]

Jan 19, 2021 21:33:24 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

Jan 19, 2021 16:54:42 GMT -5 taratru said:

For the record, I'm ALL FOR opening back up when all staff has been fully vaccinated.

To do otherwise is foolish and disrespectful to a profession that has been shit on enough already.

Have there been talks where you are about mandating teachers to get vaccinated?
Just curious if other professions are talking about this. I haven't heard anything in my profession and there are people opting not to get vaccinated for a variety of reasons (plus it's not even available to all health care workers yet either). I think mostly no one has made it mandatory yet because the vaccines are still under emergency authorization. I know everywhere I've worked now and previously the flu vaccine isn't required, but if you don't get it you're supposed to wear a mask at work during flu season (which is almost half the year).

Just curious how it'll work for the teaching profession if schools can't open until everyone is vaccinated. 

It’s a total shitshow in teacher groups. There are so many who were saying they wouldn’t return in person until a vaccine is available who are now saying they won’t get a vaccine. It’s so frustrating, frankly, because it plays into the narrative that teachers are lazy babies.

I would be shocked if unions allow districts to mandate the vaccine. It seems obvious that a vaccine is safer than returning to the germfest unvaccinated, and I don’t think there’s any way schools aren’t fully open in September. People are going to have to get vaccinated or quit their jobs, I think.

[lexus]

Jan 19, 2021 17:28:57 GMT -5 Poeticxpassion said:

Jan 19, 2021 16:54:42 GMT -5 taratru said:

For the record, I'm ALL FOR opening back up when all staff has been fully vaccinated.

To do otherwise is foolish and disrespectful to a profession that has been shit on enough already.

Do you know how many teachers at your school want the vaccine vs. don’t want it? 

I asked our principal at the PTO meeting the other night about the vaccine and she said it’s not mandatory. I wonder how many teachers will not want it, and what does that mean for reopening schools?

It’s my understanding that my district will probably allow teachers who aren’t vaccinated to come on campus this school year (while the vaccine is new) but that admin is anticipating that it will be required to return as an employee of the district in the fall, I assume because the students will not be able to be vaccinated and it’s an attempt to control the spread.

[Saudade]

mofongo, we mandate flu. You can get an exemption for health reasons only. Anything else you are terminated. It’s been that way here for about 4 years, prior you could decline and were required to wear a mask 24/7 during flu season.

[lexus]

Jan 20, 2021 8:03:36 GMT -5 erbear said:

Jan 19, 2021 21:33:24 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

Have there been talks where you are about mandating teachers to get vaccinated?
Just curious if other professions are talking about this. I haven't heard anything in my profession and there are people opting not to get vaccinated for a variety of reasons (plus it's not even available to all health care workers yet either). I think mostly no one has made it mandatory yet because the vaccines are still under emergency authorization. I know everywhere I've worked now and previously the flu vaccine isn't required, but if you don't get it you're supposed to wear a mask at work during flu season (which is almost half the year).

Just curious how it'll work for the teaching profession if schools can't open until everyone is vaccinated. 

It’s a total shitshow in teacher groups. There are so many who were saying they wouldn’t return in person until a vaccine is available who are now saying they won’t get a vaccine. It’s so frustrating, frankly, because it plays into the narrative that teachers are lazy babies.

I would be shocked if unions allow districts to mandate the vaccine. It seems obvious that a vaccine is safer than returning to the germfest unvaccinated, and I don’t think there’s any way schools aren’t fully open in September. People are going to have to get vaccinated or quit their jobs, I think.

I completely agree. Otherwise it will lead to all sorts of issues. Which kids get the vaccinated teachers and which don’t will become yet another equity issue.

[abs]

I know one of our major hospitals here is offering a $500 incentive for getting the Covid vaccine. I wonder if we will see more incentives pop up like in other fields.

www.chron.com/coronavirus/article/COVID-19-vaccine-hospital-employees-get-500-bonus-15850345.php

[taratru]

Jan 19, 2021 23:00:11 GMT -5 rubytue said:

This fits here. Tennessee is looking to deny part or all funding from school systems that don’t have 70 in person days of the 180 required days.

So yeah, everyone feeling this is the death of public schools, leave it to assholes in Tennessee to put it on paper.
wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=HB7021

Jesus Christ. Do they not understand *why* schools aren't opening? That if they provided more money, that they could? That taking away money means closing schools for *good*? What the fuck kind of childish nonsense is this?  Public schools aren't teenagers that can lose their allowance for getting a C on a test. 

[wanderingback]

Jan 20, 2021 8:03:36 GMT -5 erbear said:

Jan 19, 2021 21:33:24 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

Have there been talks where you are about mandating teachers to get vaccinated?
Just curious if other professions are talking about this. I haven't heard anything in my profession and there are people opting not to get vaccinated for a variety of reasons (plus it's not even available to all health care workers yet either). I think mostly no one has made it mandatory yet because the vaccines are still under emergency authorization. I know everywhere I've worked now and previously the flu vaccine isn't required, but if you don't get it you're supposed to wear a mask at work during flu season (which is almost half the year).

Just curious how it'll work for the teaching profession if schools can't open until everyone is vaccinated. 

It’s a total shitshow in teacher groups. There are so many who were saying they wouldn’t return in person until a vaccine is available who are now saying they won’t get a vaccine. It’s so frustrating, frankly, because it plays into the narrative that teachers are lazy babies.

I would be shocked if unions allow districts to mandate the vaccine. It seems obvious that a vaccine is safer than returning to the germfest unvaccinated, and I don’t think there’s any way schools aren’t fully open in September. People are going to have to get vaccinated or quit their jobs, I think.

Thanks for sharing your what you're seeing.
I guess I just wonder what the solution is as for example taratru mentioned - advocating school reopening when everyone is vaccinated. It's like a no-win situation since unfortunately everyone won't/can't get vaccinated and based on what you all are saying it can't be mandatory and covid isn't going to suddenly disappear completely. Hopefully there are ways to get students back to school and teachers feeling safe because overall it seems like having school virtual for all of 2021-2022 is also a risk. 

[tacom]

“Another issue that has not been widely discussed is whether school districts can require employees who balk at being vaccinated to do so. Employers can mandate the vaccinations, with some exceptions, according to guidance released Dec. 16 by the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Leslie Gielow Jacobs, a professor at the McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, said employers can set job requirements and even require a medical examination as long as it is job-related. Employers would have to work with employees with disabilities, medical conditions or religious beliefs that preclude them from being vaccinated to find an acceptable alternative work environment. The alternative must be reasonable and not too onerous on the business and could include working from home, if appropriate, she said.

School districts and other employers would have to weigh their legal liability when deciding whether employees should be vaccinated. On one hand, federal labor law requires that employers provide a safe and healthy workplace, which could obligate them to ensure employees are vaccinated, Jacobs said.”


www.google.com/amp/s/edsource.org/2020/teachers-and-school-staff-in-california-increasingly-likely-to-get-vaccine-in-next-round/645515/amp

www.natlawreview.com/article/eeoc-releases-first-guidance-covid-19-vaccination-employers


I’m expecting (hoping?) at least California will eventually mandate the vaccine for educators once it’s approved (not authorized for emergency use) by the FDA. I mean, if we can mandate vaccines in children for diseases that are not widely circulating in our communities, why in the world would we allow adults a pass for this virus? There can be room for medical exemptions, and accommodations when available, but a mandate will likely increase compliance.

I do hope that if a mandate happens, it doesn’t happen any time soon. I don’t think it’s a good idea for people to feel like they have no choice from the start. And of course the EUA/approval issue.

[waverly]

I mean schools can and have mandated that kids get vaccinated. And employers have that right as well. I am attending a vaccine seminar on this next week, so I should have more info.

I think because it is very new and rollout is uneven etc. most places are not mandating it. They are having people get it in their phase and then moving onto the next phase, but I think once it has been around for a while and everyone who wants it has it, you might see either an outcome of yes we reached herd immunity and we are OK to move forward or no we need to start mandating this vaccine because the virus is still a big problem.

[noodleoo]

Jan 20, 2021 13:31:03 GMT -5 waverly said:

I mean schools can and have mandated that kids get vaccinated. And employers have that right as well. I am attending a vaccine seminar on this next week, so I should have more info.

I think because it is very new and rollout is uneven etc. most places are not mandating it. They are having people get it in their phase and then moving onto the next phase, but I think once it has been around for a while and everyone who wants it has it, you might see either an outcome of yes we reached herd immunity and we are OK to move forward or no we need to start mandating this vaccine because the virus is still a big problem.

MA tried to mandate the flu vaccine this year.  Everyone was supposed to have it by 12/31/20.  People complained, so they pushed the date out to February.  Then they canceled it all together.    I'm so disappointed that the governor rolled over so easily on it.  At least most people probably got it before the mandate was overturned anyway.  

I don't see anyone mandating the covid vaccine until it is officially FDA approved and not under EUA.  Anyone know how long that will take?  I'm guessing a while, probably not before Fall 2021.

ETA: adding article.  I guess they folded since the flu season has been so mild.  But I still don't like the precedent.

www.boston25news.com/news/health/dph-removing-mandate-requiring-flu-vaccines-mass-students/YXBJVE4CFFAPBPAAB3WSKLVNFI/

[waverly]

noodleoo ,  I think with the schools at least you have the consequence that they won't enroll the child without the proper vaccines, and will dis-enroll them if they don't show proof within a certain time frame.  Or with employers, you have some recourse as well. 

I do know one anti-vaxer though who refuses to put her child in pre-school because of vaccines. Not sure if she just plans to homeschool all her kids forever then?