School District of Philadelphia Board of Education to hold meeting over proposed vaccine mandate
PHILADELPHIA - The School District of Philadelphia Board of Education will hold a special meeting to consider a resolution to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for employees and all contractors.
"It’s very, scary going back into the building," district employee Ivey Welshans said.
She's been with the School District of Philadelphia for 21 years, but this is the first time she has felt uneasy about returning full-time in-person even though she's fully vaccinated.
"I do think children should be back in the classroom, but it’s also very scary because you have unvaccinated students. You have some unvaccinated adults in the building and it could potentially be very dangerous," she said.
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As early as next week, vaccines may no longer be a choice for district staff. The school board will vote Tuesday on a mandate that would require COVID-19 vaccines for all district employees. The resolution went public for the first time Friday evening. It says there will be a process for requests to be exempted and those may be for documented medical reasons or religious beliefs.
The proposal also lists potential strategies on how the district can get 100% of staff vaccinated, including access to accurate scientific information, making it easier to have access to get the shot.
The special meeting will be held remotely and can be viewed via live stream, here.
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