B.C. school boards told to determine their own vaccine policy for staff | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
Subscribe

Would you like to subscribe to our newsletter?

Current Conditions Mostly Cloudy  26.6°C

Kamloops News

B.C. school boards told to determine their own vaccine policy for staff

A cleaned classroom is seen during a media tour of Hastings Elementary school in Vancouver, Wednesday, September 2, 2020. British Columbia's Education Ministry has released new guidelines to help school boards with COVID-19 vaccination policies, but is leaving any final decision up to the respective boards.
Image Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

VICTORIA - British Columbia's Education Ministry has released new guidelines to help school boards with COVID-19 vaccination policies, leaving any final decisions up to the respective boards.

The ministry says the guidelines, which include gathering data and consultation with First Nations and employee groups, will help school boards encourage vaccination in their communities and to determine if a mandatory vaccination policy works best for them.

The ministry says it will also work with schools, public and private, to make sure they have the tools and resources to support the process.

Teri Mooring, the head of the B.C. Teachers' Federation, had urged the provincial government earlier this month to take leadership on implementing a vaccination policy for teachers across the province.

B.C. reported 649 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, along with 13 more deaths.

The province reports that 89.4 per cent of eligible people 12 and older have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 83.9 per cent have received a second dose.

Jennifer Whiteside, B.C.'s education minister, said in a statement the province has worked to make sure school safety plans were robust and supported since the start of the pandemic.

"With guidelines now available, trustees can make decisions around vaccination policies that work best for their communities as we work together to continue to support a culture of vaccination in our schools," she said.

Mooring previously noted vaccination rates are lower in some parts of the province, like the Peace region in the north, so trustees there may face "a high level of pushback" if they require teachers to be vaccinated as a condition of employment.

"We could have a situation where the parts of the province that need mandates the most would be the least likely to implement them," she said on Oct. 8, adding a patchwork approach could affect any unvaccinated teachers working in multiple districts.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2021.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2021
The Canadian Press

  • Popular penticton News
  • Here's what a hectare really looks like
    When we talk about the size of a forest fire, we usually talk in hectares. But just how big is a hectare anyways? The word hectare comes from the Greek word ‘hekaton’ which means
  • iN VIDEO: Robin babies squabble, bathe in Kamloops garden
    Kamloops gardener Sherry Bennett designed her yard to support and nurture bugs and wildlife, and this spring a pair of robins moved in to raise their young. Last week, she captured footage o
  • Suspension for BC lawyer who punched 80-year-old in the face
    A BC lawyer who punched an 80-year-old man in the face has been suspended for one month. According to a June 9 BC Law Society decision, lawyer Jason Edward Harp got into a dispute with the 8
  • New campaign encourages B.C. to 'squeal' on invasive pigs
    British Columbia's Invasive Species Council says the province needs to get ahead of the potential risk of feral pigs before they gain a foothold the way they have elsewhere in Canada. Executive Dire
  • Summerland high school teacher charged with voyeurism
    A Summerland secondary school teacher has been charged with voyeurism. Taylor Paul Holubetz was supposed to turn up for his first court appearance Wednesday, May 14 in Penticton. The c
View Site in: Desktop | Mobile