Teachers In Washington State Must Get Fully Vaccinated — Or They Could Be Fired

Enlarge this image

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee speaks at a news conference Wednesday at the state Capitol in Olympia. Inslee announced that Washington state is expanding its vaccine mandate to include all public, charter and private school teachers and staff as well as those working at the state’s colleges and universities.

Ted S. Warren/AP

hide caption

toggle caption

Ted S. Warren/AP

Back To School: Live Updates
A Texas School Made Masks Part Of Its Dress Code To Get Around Gov. Abbott’s Ban

Washington’s mandate is wide-ranging: It applies to anyone working in a school environment, including bus drivers, coaches and volunteers. If employees don’t comply, they could be subject to dismissal. Exemptions for religious or medical reasons will be allowed, but «personal or philosophical exemptions» aren’t acceptable, according to Inslee.

Inslee announced the order likely affects about 118,000 workers in early-learning and child care programs, and about 90,000 employees in higher education institutions.

The vaccine requirement doesn’t apply to any students or to tribal schools, but Inslee also issued a new indoor mask requirement for all residents ages 5 and up, set to go into effect Monday.

The Coronavirus Crisis
From Free Pizza To Free Tuition, Colleges Try Everything To Get Students Vaccinated

Inslee also highlighted the mandate requires full vaccination by Oct. 18, meaning school employees must get the second dose of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, or the only dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, by Oct. 4 to be in compliance. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers people fully vaccinated two weeks after they’ve received their final required dose of the COVID-19 vaccines.

In Washington, the spread of the delta variant is driving up infection rates. As of Aug. 9, Washington averaged 2,665 cases per day, and Inslee reports more than 95% of COVID-related hospitalizations in the state are among unvaccinated people.

This story first appeared in the Morning Edition live blog.