Gov. Jay Inslee imposes vaccine mandate for school staff in Washington State

Under a new policy announced by Governor Jay Inslee, all teachers and school staff in Washington State — including coaches, bus drives and volunteers — will need to be fully vaccinated as a condition of employment.

The mandate applies to all the staff regardless of the type of school in which they work: public, charter or private. School staff must be vaccinated by October 18 or face possible dismissal.

The policy, which is the strictest vaccine mandate imposed to date by any state for teachers and other staff members in schools, comes at a time when the country has been rampaged by the rising number of cases of the Delta variant of coronavirus.

“We are well past the point where testing is enough to keep people safe,” Inslee said at a news conference, according to the New York Times report. “We’ve tried it. It has not been adequate for the task at hand.”

Additionally, he stressed that 95% of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Washington were unvaccinated, and reminded the public that children under 12 are not yet eligible for vaccines. “When you decide to get a vaccine, you’re protecting a kid out there who can’t get it,” Inslee added.

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However, there are some exemptions in place for those with disabling medical conditions or sincerely held religious beliefs. Other than these two grounds individuals who refuse to get vaccinated will be subject to dismissal. 

Washington has been experiencing a COVID-19 case surge that is straining its health care system. The state had already announced a mask mandate inside schools. 

Earlier this month, the Governor had announced a COVID-19 vaccination mandate for thousands of Washington state employees, along with many private-sector healthcare workers.

The implementation of vaccine mandates has been hotly debated across the country. While some states, mostly led by Republicans, have been banning such requirements, Democratic officials have pushed for the mandate.