Toronto District School Board reveals details of new mandatory vaccine policy
The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) has laid out exactly how it will implement its new mandatory vaccination policy.
The school board released an 11-page document Tuesday evening, titled ‘COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccine Procedure,’ revealing key dates, disciplinary measures and exemption protocols for its new policy.
The policy applies to all school board employees, including daily and long-term occasional teachers and casual education workers, school board trustees and student transportation drivers.
According to the document, all TDSB employees were required to disclose their vaccination status by Sept. 7th. They now have until Nov. 1 to have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
The TDSB said roughly 94 per cent of staff responded to the survey and of those who did respond, about 83 per cent indicated that they had been fully vaccinated.
Until Nov. 1, those who are not yet fully vaccinated will have to comply with regular COVID-19 testing and provide proof of a negative result to attend a TDSB workplace. The tests will be provided to individuals at no cost, the board says.
Staff who are not fully vaccinated or who have not disclosed their vaccination status must complete a mandatory education program supplied by the Ontario government no later than two weeks after the TDSB provides access to the program.
The education program will be provided as a video by the Ministry of Education. Staff will be required to review the video outside of working hours.
Staff undergoing the education program are still required to meet the full vaccination requirement by Nov. 1, says the board.
This policy also extends to those who visit board premises frequently, such as students on educational placements, individuals on internships, co-op placements, or apprenticeship programs, volunteers, permit holders and contractors, those who provide professional services to children at school and “other members of organizations not related to the board but who nevertheless work on or are invited onto board premises,” says the board.
The school board says it will provide exemptions on the basis of medical, disability or religious reasons.
“An employee who is requesting an exemption on the basis of a medical condition must provide the Board’s Disability Management Office with a letter from a licenced physician or registered nurse practitioner ... clearly stating the reason why the individual should be exempted from receiving a vaccine, and duration of such exemption,” the document reads.
A specific diagnosis or disclosure of a medical condition is not required except under “exceptional circumstances or where necessary in order to provide accommodation,” says the board.
According to the document, this letter must have been provided before Sept. 7 or as soon as possible thereafter.
Those who fail to comply with the new protocol may be subject to “administrative or disciplinary action, up to and including termination from their employment,” says the board.
Toronto District School Board Director of Education, Colleen Russell-Rawlins, took to social media Tuesday evening to address the new protocols.
“While we recognize that deciding to be vaccinated is a deeply personal one, by reducing the number of positive COVID-19 cases introduced into our schools, we are better able to protect our school communities and ensure fewer disruptions to student learning and well-being,” Russell-Rawlins wrote.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. Both weren't expecting to meet someone special the night they crossed paths at a bar in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Iraq investigates a blast at a base of Iran-allied militias that killed 1. U.S. denies involvement
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they were investigating an explosion that struck a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias, killing one person and injuring eight.
The House is on the brink of approving aid for Ukraine and Israel after months of struggle
The House is preparing in a rare Saturday session to approve US$95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.