Vancouver teachers not mandated to get vaccinated, board decides

The Vancouver School Board is the latest to decide against mandating staff be vaccinated against COVID-19. The board followed similar decisions for teachers in Surrey and New Westminster.

“As a Board, we continue to be very committed to ensuring schools are safe and inclusive places to learn and work,” said VSB Chair Carmen Cho.

“We are pleased that approximately 90 per cent of eligible youth and adults in the Vancouver Coastal Health region are vaccinated, and we continue to strongly encourage anyone who has yet to be vaccinated to make an appointment and do their part to keep everyone healthy and safe.”

NEW: Vancouver School Board latest to decide against vaccine mandate for teachers and staff, saying it made decision after considering implications. Follows in footsteps of school districts in New Westminster and Surrey, which have also said no to mandate.

— Monika Gul (@MonikaGul) November 4, 2021

In a statement, the Vancouver School Board says it “considered a full range of possible implications a vaccine mandate could have on the delivery of education and educational programs,” including reviewing guidelines developed by the Ministry of Education, BC Public School Employers’ Association, and a provincial advisory group.

The board says it “carefully considered all implications of a vaccine mandate for staff” before deciding against such a mandate.

The province has left the decision of whether to require vaccination up to B.C.’s 60 individual school districts.

Related articles:

• Surrey parents disappointed with lack of vaccine mandate for teachers, school staff

• Surrey teachers not mandated to get vaccinated, board decides

• City of Victoria mandates COVID-19 vaccination for employees

After Surrey announced its decision this week not to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for teachers and staff, many parents spoke out with anger and disappointment, saying younger children still can’t be vaccinated and this decision means their kids will remain vulnerable and at risk.

Vaccines are only approved for people 12 years and older in Canada. The federal health agency is currently reviewing shots for children as young as five, but it’s unclear when exactly a decision will come.

Related video: Surrey parents disappointed at lack of teacher vaccine mandate

However, one teacher who wished to remain anonymous, was not surprised with the Surrey school board’s decision. Speaking to CityNews anonymously, the educator, who teaches science, admitted he was disappointed, but not all too concerned.

“We were already at a high vaccination rate, even compared to the general population as was. So I think most teachers weren’t really expecting a mandate,” he said, adding he saw many teachers at the local district’s vaccination clinic.

“I don’t know any science teachers that aren’t vaccinated. So, those in the know are the ones that seem to be getting vaccinated and even those that aren’t in my department, at least that I’ve talked to, it sounds like, or at least looks like, were mostly vaccinated as well,” he added.

The New Westminster School Board was the first to announce it would not require staff to be immunized. Other school districts have yet to detail what action they will take.

With files from Liza Yuzda, Claire Fenton, Hana Mae Nassar, and Ashley Burr