OPINION: This article contains commentary which reflects the author’s opinion
Reminder : The purpose of the articles that you will find on this website is to EDUCATE our opinions and not to disinform or grow hate and anger!
Richmond, Virginia, the school board is backtracking on its vaccine mandate after numerous teachers resigned over the measure, leading to a major staff shortage.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that last night, the board voted 6-3 to prevent superintendent Jason Kamras from withholding pay or firing teachers who refused to get the vaccine “if said teachers or staff agree to weekly COVID testing provided by RPS.”
Despite this, Kamras still stands by his decision to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine, saying that “a mandate isn’t a mandate if there are no consequences.” He also claimed that it increased the district’s overall vaccination rate to around 92%.
However, the board approved 29 staff resignations the very same day that it voted to halt the mandate, with most of these resignations being sparked by the vaccine restrictions.
“I… feel like we didn’t get a plan on how to make it work. We have a crisis with staff leaving,” said Kenya Gibson, who supports the vaccine mandate. “More than one school in my district, there are teachers leaving in the middle of the year, and it has nothing to do with vaccination and everything to do with demands in the classroom.”
WTVR reported that there are now 100 staff vacancies in the district, and thanks to the board, any teachers who were docked pay as of the start of this month for not complying with the mandate will be reimbursed. Mariah White, another board member, spoke out to say that she doesn’t see how taking away someone’s pay would motivate them to get the jab.
“The shot has kept our children safe, but I’m not understanding what pay has to do with it. How does that help anyone? Taking someone’s pay. That doesn’t make them want to go and take a COVID shot,” she said.
Nevertheless, Kamras defended withholding pay as well.
“It causes great pain to have to withhold pay and move forward with the progressive discipline plan. I also am acutely aware of the impact of the vacancies,” Kamras said. “I do want to note our mandate increased our vaccination rate dramatically and believe that it has kept our schools safe.”
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney attacked the school board after the vote, calling the governing body a “dysfunctional” one and saying that their actions were “unacceptable” and “irresponsible.”
“You cannot enact a public health mandate and then tear out the teeth of that mandate,” Stoney said on Tuesday. “The school board now is asking for 29 individuals out of roughly 3,000 ‘pretty please get the vaccine.’”
Don’t be surprised if this kind of vaccine mandate backtracking becomes even more common in the weeks and months, as staff shortages in various fields are undoubtedly coming as more mandates go into effect.
Article Source : Redvoicemedia.com
OPINION: This article contains commentary which reflects the author’s opinion
Reminder : The purpose of the articles that you will find on this website is to EDUCATE our opinions and not to disinform or grow hate and anger!
