Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccinations For Chicago Public Schools Staff

CHICAGO — Chicago Public Schools will require all employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or seek an exemption from administrators, district officials announced Friday.

Staff have until Oct. 15 to provide proof of full vaccination to the district or submit documentation from a healthcare provider that shows they have a medical reason they cannot be inoculated against the coronavirus — or a "sincerely held religious belief that prohibits vaccination" and is documented by a spiritual advisor.

Interim CPS CEO Jose Torres said the policy would apply to all employees of the Chicago Board of Education and all regular vendors. Those with exemptions must be tested for COVID-19 every week, Torres said in a letter to staff.

"Staff members who do not provide documentation showing full vaccination against COVID-19 or who do not have an approved exemption by October 15 will be deemed ineligible to work and not paid until they are able to provide CPS with documentation confirming full vaccination or an exemption," Torres said.

According to data from CPS, about 32,500 of the district's nearly 47,700 employees have confirmed that they are vaccinated in surveys. That includes 82 percent of teachers and 88 percent of school based administrators — but only 52 percent of those classified as "other employees."

The school year is due to begin Aug. 30. Representatives of the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools are negotiating a memorandum of agreement covering reopening procedures.

But disagreements persist in several key areas, WBEZ reports, like the union's call for classrooms to be quarantined for 14 days after a single positive test and for entire schools to switch to remote learning when there are three or more untraced cases in different classrooms.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the school staff vaccination mandate would further the city's efforts to increase the level of immunity in the community and help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

"Our Chicago Public School communities deserve a safe and healthy environment that will allow our students to reach their greatest potential," Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement to the media. "This new policy enhances the district's comprehensive reopening plan and ensures that students and staff can confidently learn in-person."