TDSB to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for staff, trustees and visitors

TORONTO -

Canada’s largest public school board has voted unanimously to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for staff, trustees and visitors.

The Toronto District School Board made the announcement on Thursday morning, saying its trustees voted in favour of a mandatory policy at last night’s school board meeting.

The school board says it’s now in the hands of TDSB staff to come up with a plan on how it will work. Staff will develop a procedure for all workers, trustees, and visitors. They all must be fully vaccinated, and will be required to disclose and provide proof of their vaccination status.

“Staff will now have to develop this procedure and the key word is mandatory, it would apply to not only TDSB staff but trustees and visitors,” TDSB Spokesperson Ryan Bird said Thursday morning.

“They would be required to not only disclose and provide proof of vaccination, but then upload potentially the certificate that you receive upon that second dose.”

The board says it aims to have the procedure implemented prior to schools reopening on Sept. 9.

It is not yet clear what will happen to people who refuse vaccination, but Bird said that staff will establish those details in the upcoming plan, which is currently being worked on.

“We received this direction from trustees just last night, and now the procedure has to be developed,” Bird said. “There are legal implications, there are staffing implications, there are a number of implications so depending on that … that’s what staff are looking at.”

He said staff are also working on what information will be publically available on the vaccination status of TDSB workers, and the role of COVID-19 testing in the plan.

The Ontario government has previously said that it would enact a policy that would require educational workers to either be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or participate in a regular rapid testing program, however, schools boards are able to decide how they would like to enforce their own mandatory vaccination policy.

The school board noted in a news release on Thursday that people who are not vaccinated would be required first to attend a mandatory education session on the benefits of the vaccine.

“[The plan will address] a schedule for dates by which point any unvaccinated individuals must disclose if they have received first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccines,” the release stated. “TDSB will comply with its human rights obligations and accommodate employees who are legally entitled to accommodation.”

The new rules will apply to all visitors, including parents wanting to enter the school buildings. Last year, due to the pandemic, parents were not allowed to enter schools at all.

“The data is clear — being fully vaccinated significantly reduces the risks of the most serious outcomes of COVID-19,” TDSB Chair Alexander Brown said.

This is an important step to ensure we are making our schools and workplaces as safe as possible for staff and students — particularly younger students who are not eligible to receive the vaccine.”