In-camera discussion around a proposed mandatory vaccine policy for School District 83 staff will be followed by further data gathering and consultation.
At the Nov. 23 school board meeting, Chair Amanda Krebs said in a brief statement the board had reviewed health and survey data during the the in-camera session earlier in the day. This resulted in a directive being given to senior leadership to require more comprehensive data from Interior Health, and “to proceed to the consultation process involving employee groups, Indigenous rights holders and the community as outlined in the Ministry of Education K-12 Sector Guidelines for Vaccination Policies.”
No further comment was made on the matter.
At the Oct. 19 board meeting, the board directed staff to prepare briefing notes regarding mandatory vaccination. This followed discussion on the topic, including how the B.C. government left mandatory vaccination up to school districts.
Earlier this month the Vancouver school board announced it wouldn’t pursue a mandatory vaccination policy. Surrey and Abbotsford school boards announced the same.
“With multiple layers of protection currently in place throughout all of our buildings, we know that our schools are low-risk settings for transmission. Furthermore, our public health experts have confirmed that our schools are not a primary source of COVID-19 spread,” commented Dr. Stan Petersen, Chair for the Abbotsford Board of Education, in a Nov. 3 media release.
Read more: North Okanagan-Shuswap school trustees open discussion on mandatory vaccination of staff
Read more: Mandatory vaccination for B.C. school staff up to boards, says B.C. premier
lachlan@saobserver.net
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