CCSD to require weekly COVID-19 testing for unvaccinated workers

The Clark County School District is requiring employees who aren’t fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to undergo weekly testing starting next week.

The district sent a memo to employees Wednesday with the update and sent a copy to the Review-Journal Friday in response to an inquiry.

School district employees who are fully vaccinated against coronavirus can upload their completed vaccination card into an emocha Health platform, Deputy Superintendent Brenda Larsen-Mitchell wrote in the memo.

Those who don’t will be required to participate in mandatory weekly COVID-19 testing “outside of their contractual workday” at designated school district sites starting Monday, she said.

Employees are also required to log into emocha Health every workday for symptom monitoring, Larsen-Mitchell said.

“The District will continue to monitor the health data in our community to make informed decisions regarding the implementation of mitigation strategies,” she said in the memo.

The district said in a Friday statement to the Review-Journal it has currently verified at least 41 percent of employees are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

“The current rate is based on employees volunteering their vaccination record card status and is likely higher among employees,” the district said. “Higher rates of employees who are vaccinated in the future can lead to lessening of other mitigation efforts.”

John Vellardita, executive director of the Clark County Education Association, said Friday the union supports the district’s testing requirements and the union is in discussions with the district about it.

He said he thinks the district should actually be more stringent with its requirements. “We think that more aggressive mitigation protocols should be in place.”

Vellardita said data about how many educators have been vaccinated hasn’t been released publicly, but he has a good idea of what the numbers are.

Vellardita didn’t say how many educators he believes have not been vaccinated, but on KNPR’s State of Nevada on Friday he said it was “a fairly significant block” based on a survey the union conducted.

He said he’s concerned about employee vaccination rates and numbers need to increase. The union is going to take a more aggressive, proactive role, he added. “We’re going to help promote that.”

Vellardita said that will include potential pop-up vaccination sites for educators.

Under an emergency directive issued earlier this week by Gov. Steve Sisolak, COVID-19 testing is required at least once a week for public and private schools for students, employees and volunteers who aren’t fully vaccinated and “who are involved in activities that involve traveling to other schools or venues outside of the county.”

The directive also says the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association must have a mandatory COVID-19 testing and mitigation plan for close-contact and full-contact support sports with testing of unvaccinated coaches, staff and athletes.

In late July, the state announced its approximately 27,000 workers must be either fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo mandatory weekly testing. The new requirement is effective Aug. 15.

Additionally, CCSD will require all students and employees to wear a face mask indoors and on school buses, with the exception of those who have a medical or developmental condition that doesn’t allow for wearing a mask.

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