All adults that will be in District schools or childcare facilities will be required to be vaccinated by Nov. 1, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced in her Monday, Sept. 20 situational update.
That includes all facilities regulated by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), which oversees childcare facilities, public, public charter and private schools in the District.
Bowser said a different authority is being used to apply the mandate to a whole class of government worker, allowing the District to extend the requirement beyond only DC Public School (DS) employees. DS is overseen by the Mayor.
Students aged 12 and over will also have to be vaccinated by Nov. 1 in order to practice or play in school sports. Those who turn 12 between Sept. 20 and Nov. 1 have until Dec. 13 to get vaccinated.
With testing at schools now entering its fourth week, a presentation by Acting State Superintendent of Education Christina Grant showed that about 1 percent of students tested positive the week of Sept. 13 –about 47 students.
Test results will be updated weekly on Wednesdays and posted to the coronavirus.dc.gov website, Grant added.
72 percent of District government workers are vaccinated, with 87 percent reporting. DC City ister Kevin Donahue say 475 religious exemptions have been received from government employees, 419 from DC Fire and Emergency Medical Personnel. They have received fewer than ten requests for exemptions for medical reasons, he added.
says,” alluding to both the emergencies they daily respond to as well as the fact that they live and eat together on shift. She said that the extension of th emandate is a way to keep the community safe and get over the virus.
