The School Committee voted unanimously Monday night to require every Harvard public school employee to take part in the district’s weekly COVID-19 testing program. Employees will also have to show proof of vaccination before the end of October unless they have a medical or religious exemption. Those who do not follow the policy will be placed on unpaid leave.
The policy will take effect at once for nonunion employees and after bargaining for members of the Harvard Teachers Association. However, Superintendent Linda Dwight said the HTA had already been involved in developing a version of the vaccination requirement. Dwight also said she had consulted the school’s legal counsel about the policy.
Committee member Abby Besse pointed out that even before the pandemic, students were required to have a number of vaccinations to attend school unless they had an approved exemption. She said she was inclined to support a policy for teachers that paralleled the one for students. Member Sharlene Cronin agreed that a single standard was the right way to go.
The most complex decision for the committee was agreeing on the date by which employees needed to show proof of vaccination. Those who are already vaccinated must provide proof to the district nurse by Oct. 1. The difficulty was how to provide enough time for any who are not yet vaccinated to complete the process, allowing for the four-week waiting period between the two shots of the Moderna vaccine. The committee eventually settled on Oct. 29 as the final date for those employees to show proof of vaccination.
In addition, all employees—vaccinated or not—must take part in the schools’ weekly COVID-19 testing program. Testing everyone would help detect any breakthrough cases among vaccinated people that could risk infecting unvaccinated students. Masking requirements will also remain in effect.
