Policy Requiring Vaccines Or Weekly COVID Testing For Employees Considered By School Board

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA — Prince William County Schools employees may need to provide proof of vaccination or be subject to weekly COVID tests. The school board plans to vote on a policy on Wednesday, Sept. 15 that would require all employees to disclose their vaccination status by Nov. 1, 2021.

Under the proposed policy, employees who are not fully vaccinated, or who refuse to disclose their vaccination status, would be required to take a COVID-19 test on a weekly basis. The results of the tests would be reported to the school system's human resources department "as requested," the policy said.

"It is the highest priority of the Prince William County School Board to open its

schools for in-person learning while protecting the health and safety of students and staff," the policy says. "In order to do so, it is necessary to require all PWCS officials, employees, and those persons providing services who have direct contact with PWCS students to be vaccinated."

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Currently, approximately 80 percent of employees with the Prince William County Schools have been vaccinated, according to the school board.

In their proposed policy, the school board cited information from the Virginia Department of Health's recommend mitigation strategies, which emphasize the importance of vaccinations.

"Vaccination is the leading public health prevention strategy to end the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccinating teachers, school staff, and students when eligible for vaccination is a critical layer of prevention and protection for all," the Virginia Department of Health wrote. "Achieving high levels of vaccination among eligible students, teachers and staff is one of the most critical strategies to help schools safely operate."

Since the start of September, the Prince William County school system has recorded 217 COVID cases, including 128 from Sept. 5 to Sept. 11. In August, the school system reported 291 total COVID cases, according to their dashboard.

The proposal will be voted on at Wednesday's school board meeting, which is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. More information about attending meetings in-person or virtually can be found online.

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