Portland Public Schools Board Postpones Vote On Vaccine Mandate

PORTLAND, OR —As expected, at Tuesday night's Portland Public Schools Board of Education meeting, the board agreed to delay any official decision on a potential COVID-19 vaccine mandate for students, according to KATU.

KATU reported that the board had a lengthy discussion about the mandate on Tuesday, but decided it was not the right time time to implement such a measure.

The delay had seemed likely since last Friday, when a Portland Public Schools official said district staff members would recommended to the board that it delay its vote on a student vaccine mandate for at least six months.

In last week's announcement, District Chief of Staff Jonathan Garcia said district officials were recommending the delay because the COVID-19 situation in the community is different now than when the board began considering a student mandate in September — COVID cases are falling and younger kids now are getting the vaccine.

With the Oregon Health Authority reporting that 60 percent of middle and high school students are vaccinated against COVID-19, Portland Public Schools Board Member Amy Kohnstamm told KATU that the numbers are trending in the right direction.

"Without a mandate, we are seeing the results that we want to see for the safety of our kids and our school communities — and that's good news, so I'm happy with where we are," Kohnstamm said.

School board member Herman Greene told KATU that the decision to delay is about families having a chance to make vaccine decisions for themselves.

"We're giving people time to make a healthy decision for them and their family right now — and that's what we need right now," Greene said. "People weren't saying they were against it — they were saying that they didn't want the school district to make the choice for them — because they aren't the medical experts."

Tuesday's meeting also included a presentation from a student, who shared the results of a survey conducted among PPS high school and middle school students. The survey showed there was support for a vaccine mandate, according to KATU.

In last Friday's news release, Garcia said district officials were recommending a six-month delay in the vote.

However, KATU said that it remains unclear when the board actually will vote on the issue. The station reported that the six-month delay was discussed Tuesday night, but that board members were not in agreement on the timeline.