Public school board trustees to debate supporting mandatory vaccines for kids 12+
The motion will be discussed at a board meeting September 8
A Thames Valley District School Board trustee wants to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for all children 12 and over and ask health authorities to limit indoor contact sports, singing and playing wind instruments.
The proposals will be debated by trustees at the board meeting that takes place on Wednesday, Sept. 8.
"My goal is to make the fall as safe as possible," said Corrine Rahman, the trustee asking school board politicians to take a stance on the issues.
Rahman has three kids who go to Thames Valley schools. Two are under 12.
"We need to follow the experts' advice, which is to have as many people in the building vaccinated as the first measure of providing for a safe environment for the upcoming school year," Rahman said.
She wants trustees to write to local and provincial health authorities, as well as the ministry of education, to voice their support for mandatory COVID-19 vaccines for those over 12.
It's the best way to protect those under 12 who can't get the jab yet, Rahman said. The debate will happen as more than 95 per cent of students in the Thames Valley board have opted to go back to in-person learning, and as the highly-transmittable Delta variant continues to cause concern.
Singing, contact sports now allowed inside
The current provincial policy requires all teachers and staff to disclose their vaccine status. Those who aren't vaccinated must be tested with rapid antigen tests. The province has said it will introduce a vaccine disclosure policy for school board employees.
Rahman is also questioning the safety of contact sports, singing and playing wind instruments indoors, which a provincial directive currently allows. Trustees will debate only allowing those activities outside while they ask local and provincial health officials to give their blessing that doing them inside is safe.
"With the rise in cases in the province right now and with that guidance coming out a few weeks ago, I just want to make sure that we're making decisions about the fall with the most up to date information," Rahman said.
Middlsex-London announced Tuesday that 75 per cent of people are fully vaccinated, with 82.8 per cent having one shot, just shy of the provincial average.
Provincially, there were 525 new cases of COVID-19 as of Tuesday.