New
Rochelle has joined other school districts in the Hudson Valley in requiring
all employees be vaccinated or get tested every week.
The
district reached an agreement Tuesday night with the teacher's union.
With
Pfizer's COVID vaccine receiving full FDA approval for all Americans 16-and-up
on Monday, more school districts are expected to follow suit.
The
school district says all students will return to full-time in-person learning,
with no remote learning option.
But
virtual learning will be ready to use if the path of the pandemic deems it
necessary.
Along
with requiring vaccines, the school district is following a number of other
safety protocols ahead of the school year.
This
includes masks, regardless of vaccination, daily health screenings, cleaning,
quarantine protocols, and ventilation.
The
district is also pairing up with the County Department of Health to provide pop-up vaccine
clinics throughout the school year.
The
mandatory policy or weekly testing will take effect Friday, Sept. 10, which is
the start of the school year. "We’re trying to make the most optimal conditions for both safety and learning, and we want to keep our children back in school, they’ve missed so much time being in classrooms, you know, with their teachers, other support staff and with each other so that social isolation, we’re really trying to create the most optimal balance," says New Rochelle School Superintendent Jonathan Raymond.