Baltimore County Schools To Require Proof Of Covid-19 Vaccination Or Weekly Testing For Staff

TOWSON, Md. (WJZ) — Baltimore County Schools announced Tuesday that they volition necessitate employees to amusement impervious of covid-19 vaccination oregon to taxable to play testing.

“We are creating this request to support the health, safety, and well-being of our students and unit during this continuing pandemic,” said BCPS Superintendent Dr. Darryl L. Williams. “The determination is aligned with our committedness to supply in-person acquisition passim the 2021-2022 schoolhouse year. Vaccination remains the astir effectual means of preventing COVID-19 transmission. I promote everyone eligible to get vaccinated.”

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Officials said further details volition beryllium shared with employees successful a missive from the Office of Health Services.

Leaders of BCPS bargaining units enactment this decision.

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“TABCO’s presumption continues to beryllium a harmless reopening based connected the science,” said Cindy Sexton, TABCO (Teachers Association of Baltimore County) president. “We enactment a vaccine mandate, and we can’t hold to spot our students successful our classrooms.”

“Our corporate stance,” said Nick Argyros of BCPSOPE, “is that we consciousness vaccinations supply a harmless and steadfast enactment environment. Mandatory vaccinations would assistance our unit enactment steadfast truthful we tin win successful our concern of educating children.”

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In summation to required vaccines oregon investigating for unit and cosmopolitan masking successful each BCPS schools, offices, and buildings, BCPS said the pursuing strategies volition besides beryllium implemented this upcoming schoolhouse year:

• Maintaining carnal distancing to the top grade possible.
• Conducting screening investigating to promptly place cases, clusters, and outbreaks.
• Maintaining ventilation settings for maximal outdoor aerial intake and maximal filtration.
• Reinforcing handwashing and respiratory etiquette.
• Reinforcing that children and unit should enactment location erstwhile sick and question COVID-19 investigating if necessary.
• Conducting interaction tracing for each cases among students and staff, including enforcing quarantine and isolation to bounds spread.
• Cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces daily.

CBS Baltimore Staff