The decision by the two largest school districts in BC not to introduce a vaccine mandate for teachers doesn’t necessarily mean the third largest will also opt against such an approach, Central Okanagan Public Schools board chair Moyra Baxter says.
Trustees in Vancouver and Surrey decided this week against making COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for teachers and other employees as a condition of employment.
But Baxter said in an interview Friday she doesn’t believe that makes it all but certain that the province’s 58 other districts will make similar decisions.
“I don’t think anything is inevitable,” Baxter said Friday. “I think every region of the province is different.
“And our board is doing its due diligence, looking into all the facts and trying to see what is best for our school district,” Baxter said.
There is as yet no date for when Central Okanagan Public School trustees will consider whether to introduce a vaccine mandate. Superintendent Kevin Kaardal is preparing a report on the issue, and there is no mention of the item on next week’s agenda.
Baxter, who has said before she favors a vaccine mandate, suggested Friday such a requirement could leave some schools short of teachers.
“In our school district, there are 24,000 students,” she said. “So it’s affecting a lot of students and their schooling if we haven’t got enough staff to run schools.”
The province has left it up to school boards to decide the issue of a vaccine mandate for teachers and other employees.
The Vancouver and Surrey school districts issued press releases this week with some nearly identical wording on the vaccine mandate question.
“Our board recognizes the importance of vaccines, and we continue to encourage anyone that is eligible to get vaccinated,” Surrey chair Terry Allen said.
“We continue to strongly encourage anyone who is yet to be vaccinated to make an appointment and do their part to keep everyone healthy and safe,” Vancouver chair Carmen Cho said.
