Health and Safety Update and Vaccine Mandate
The Unions of SFUSD came to agreement with the District on an addendum to our baseline health and safety agreement negotiated last year. The agreement was reached yesterday with SFUSD and will be in place through July 31, 2022.
We’ve spent many hours fighting for the highest safety measures because we love our communities and care for our students. This is why we have worked tirelessly to demand access to testing, proper PPE, adequate ventilation, health and safety walk-throughs, and now a vaccine mandate. All our safety measures coupled with vaccines are the best way to ensure our schools are safe for everyone.
Vaccinations have proven incredibly safe and effective and are particularly important as we learn more about the new variants. We are urging everyone without health or religious concerns to get vaccinated now.
Key Highlights from Negotiations Include:
– SFUSD will meet all requirements of the current public health guidelines for schools and that staff who are not fully vaccinated will maintain a physical distance of at least 6 feet from others as much as possible.
– Starting September 7, all SFUSD employees will be required to be fully vaccinated. Any employee who is not yet vaccinated will be mandated to test for COVID-19 at least weekly. Community health starts with widely available vaccines, and the requirement for vaccinations and the impacts was the guiding principle in our negotiations.
– COVID-19 test kits will be offered at each school and worksite to all staff who are not fully vaccinated and all staff who present symptoms while on site. COVID-19 testing will be provided at no cost to staff, and during a paid time in the event, a staff member is identified as a close contact while at work.
– COVID-19 testing will also be provided for students at no cost at over 20 mobile test locations across the district.
