CCSD’s employee vaccine mandate in limbo as schools reopen

With students returning to in-person classes on Wednesday amid a dramatic surge in COVID-19, the head of the teachers union wants to know what’s become of the employee vaccination mandate approved by the Clark County School Board more than three months ago.

John Vellardita, executive director of the Clark County Education Association, said Tuesday he believes the status of the mandate is the key question hanging over the reopening of schools following the winter break as the more contagious omicron COVID-19 variant triggers sharply higher case rates in the community.

“It really calls to question whether or not the school district is going to complete what it started three months ago,” he said of the mandate approved by the School Board on Sept. 2.

The union sent initial talking points to the district but has yet to receive a reply, Vellardita said, adding that it remains willing to sit down and negotiate.

Vellardita also said that the board should look into whether COVID-19 vaccination should be required for students.

The trustees have not addressed the issue, but a handful of school districts and one state — California — have acted to require students to be vaccinated, with rare exceptions.

The Clark County School District didn’t respond Tuesday to a Review-Journal request for comment on the status of the employee mandate or the issue of requiring student vaccinations.

The union representing principals and other district administrators said Tuesday it had received no updates on the mandate.

Other employee unions could not be reached for comment about negotiations with the district.

Trustees not given update

School Board President Linda Cavazos said Tuesday night that the superintendent and staff haven’t given trustees any further updates on the status of implementing the mandate.

The School Board decided in a split vote to require employee vaccinations, making clear that it expected the district to negotiate terms with employee unions and that the mandate would allow for medical and religious exemptions.

Before the vote, the board heard from hundreds of people during more than five hours of public comments — overwhelmingly from those opposed to a mandate.

Since then, the school district hasn’t announced a timeline for when employees must provide proof of vaccination or any other details.

The nation’s fifth-largest school district, which has 40,000 employees, resumes in-person classes this week.

Tuesday was a staff development day, while students return to classrooms Wednesday.

In a message to parents last week, the district said it’s working with local and state health officials to “monitor ongoing COVID-19 developments” and is “aware of the recent surge in positivity rates in our community.”

“Mitigation strategies” are in place to protect the health of students and employees through “cleaning protocols,” the district said, and a state mask mandate remains in effect.

In a Tuesday night email to parents, which school district representatives shared with the Review-Journal, the district outlined more specific information about COVID-19 mitigation measures including information on social distancing, symptoms of the disease that parents should watch for and additional guidance on quarantines and isolation based on new recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The district said it’s requiring social distancing of at least six feet between “staff and staff” and “students and staff” with face masks. And it’s “highly recommended” between students, when possible.

“When it is not possible to maintain a distance of at least three feet, such as cafeterias and multipurpose rooms, it is especially important to layer multiple mitigation measures, including face masks,” the district said. “During high transmission times, students should be encouraged to place their face masks on as soon as they are finished eating and/or drinking.”

Quarantine decisions will be case by case

Depending on other variables, quarantine decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis using factors such as “consistent mask use, vaccination status of individuals, previous positive lab results in the last 90 days of an individual, etc.,” the district said.

The message to parents said that generally, students within three feet or less of someone who tests positive — regardless of mask usage — will be quarantined according to recommended timelines.

A student who’s between three and six feet away, and employees who are less than six feet away from someone who tests positive “may or may not be quarantined,” according to the message.

The district also said it will “proactively monitor school staff absences” and will deploy central service employees to help at identified schools, if needed.

Staff training Tuesday covered topics such as “ensuring social distancing for all activities” and required student seating charts for all classes to allow for easier COVID-19 contact tracing, the district said.

It also covered well and sick rooms, available first aid and personal protective equipment supplies, ensuring “ample quantities” of cleaning supplies, and ensuring an R-Zero UV-C Arc Unit is used for disinfection at school campuses on a daily basis and when needed, according to the message.

Vellardita said Tuesday that strategies are one thing, but the safe return to school buildings is “all about execution of mitigation strategies.”

A perfect rollout won’t be feasible because of challenges such as staffing shortages, testing capacity and space constraints in classrooms, he added.

As of mid-December, the district had about 850 licensed employee vacancies — up from about 700 on the first day of school — and hundreds of support staff openings.

Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton on Twitter.