B.C. teachers, parents want action on vaccine mandate for schools

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — After agreeing to make masks mandatory for all students in B.C., the province has not yet suggested if a similar mandate will be announced when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines.

However, in speaking to NEWS 1130, some teachers and parents are looking to take a more proactive approach.

BC Teachers’ Federation President Teri Mooring said the union would not oppose a vaccine mandate as long as its members with valid reasons for staying unvaccinated have options.

“That, I would see as normal work that would happen in a situation like that,” Mooring said. “In those rare situations where there was an exemption, there would be a proper accommodation process in place.”

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Starting Monday, all B.C. students in elementary and secondary schools will have to wear masks. The extended mandate comes at the end of a week that saw three major school districts in Metro Vancouver introduce masking requirements for kids in Kindergarten to Grade 3, which went beyond the previous health order aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19.

COVID-19 vaccinations are currently not approved for use in children under the age of 12 in Canada. However, as of Friday, Pfizer said it had submitted preliminary research to Health Canada on the effectiveness of its COVID-19 vaccine in children aged five to 11.

Mooring said the union would work with the province to ensure their member’s safety if a vaccine mandate was introduced.

“If a mandate came down, we would certainly work with the Provincial Health Office and local health authorities to ensure privacy rights of members was protected,” she said.

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Kyenta Martins, with Safe Schools Coalition B.C., doesn’t believe the province will see many teachers or other staff quit if vaccines become mandatory.

“There are many different roles for people in education, they don’t necessarily have to work directly with the kids. So if the BCTF is confident that that can happen, then I have confidence in [the possible mandate],” Martins said.

Martins wishes Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry was more proactive in her approach.

“This is part of the trend that we’ve seen from Bonnie Henry — we seem to react once things are worse,” Martins said. “We wish she would take action earlier to try and save people’s health and families.”

“There has been a lot of time to ponder what’s needed and what’s not needed, and I think it’s time for us to have a definite answer. It would be a protection, both for the children and for the staff.”