Gov. Gavin Newsom mandates vaccines or COVID tests for California teachers

All California school teachers and staff must get vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to weekly testing, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday as many kids are returning back to the classroom after a year of remote learning.

Newsom, a Democrat, publicized the new policy at an elementary school in Oakland, where the school district had already decided to impose such a requirement on teachers.

“We think this is the right thing to do,” Newsom said while standing in front of a colorful wildlife mural near the playground at Carl B. Munck Elementary. “We think this is a sustainable way to keeping our schools open, and to address the No. 1 anxiety that parents like myself have — I have four young children — and that is knowing that the schools are doing everything in their power to keep our kids safe.”

San Jose Unified and Long Beach Unified school districts have also announced teacher vaccine or testing requirements. Sacramento City Unified School District proposed one earlier this week.

Under the order Newsom’s Department of Public Health issued Wednesday, K-12 schools must either verify that their staff are vaccinated or put in place weekly testing by Oct. 15. Speaking with a gaggle of reporters following the news conference, Newsom said he expects the “vast majority” of large school districts will require their staff to meet the requirement before that date.

The new rules apply to public and private schools, making California the first state to mandate vaccines or tests for all school employees. Hawai’i last week mandated vaccines for all public employees, including teachers, but that order does not apply to private schools.

They are intended to keep students safe, particularly those under 12 who can’t get vaccinated, and help kids from being exposed to the coronavirus and having to stay home from school. Although vaccines have been widely available for months, just under 64% of eligible Californians are fully vaccinated, while nearly 10% are partially vaccinated, according to state data.

The highly transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus is driving a surge in COVID-19 cases across California and the country. Over the last week, about 6.4% of COVID-19 tests have come back positive in California.

Teachers’ union support vaccine mandate

The leader of the state’s largest teachers union, California Teachers Association President E. Toby Boyd, issued a statement Wednesday applauding the new requirement.

“Today’s announcement is an appropriate next step to ensure the safety of our school communities and to protect our youngest learners under 12 who are not yet vaccine eligible from this highly contagious Delta variant,” Boyd said. “Today’s announcement provides an important alternative for those educators who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, while continuing to send a strong and clear message that every one of us – educators, eligible students, parents and staff – must be doing everything we can if we hope to win this fight against COVID and keep our schools open safely.”

The Newsom administration is already requiring state workers to either get vaccinated or be tested weekly. Health care workers also face a vaccine requirement in California, and soon won’t have the option to test out unless they have a medical or religious exemption.

In July, Newsom’s public health department issued rules requiring students to wear masks at school. The decision drew backlash from supporters of an upcoming effort to recall Newsom from office, who argue that the governor has been too heavy handed in issuing coronavirus restrictions.

Like the teacher vaccine rules, Newsom argues the mask policy will help keep children and teachers safe and help keep schools open.

Democrats weigh in on Newsom recall

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, praised Newsom’s leadership at the event and argued Newsom should be allowed to stay in office to continue the coronavirus regulations that his leading recall challengers have vowed to dismantle.

“Our children have endured so much over the last year. They need us to do the right thing and take every single safety precaution necessary to allow for a safe learning environment,” Lee said. “We know that the health of our children, neighbors and communities depends on Gov. Newsom’s continued leadership.”

Newsom’s Wednesday order applies only to school staff, not students. Asked if he would support a vaccine requirement for students, Newsom suggested he’s open to the possibility.

“We’ll consider all options in the future,” Newsom said. “There’s nothing static about this virus ... we’ll consider that if necessary.”

This story was originally published August 11, 2021 at 11:12 AM.