MPS to consider mandatory vaccine policy for staff in September

Milwaukee Public Schools administrators will present possible policies in September for requiring that district staff and volunteers either be vaccinated or participate in weekly testing, as directed by school board members Tuesday night. 

In a committee meeting Tuesday, five board members voted unanimously for a resolution directing administrators to propose such policies. The full board will consider whether to approve a policy when presented in September. 

Bob Peterson, school board president, put forward the resolution and asked administrators to also explore possible criteria for waivers that would exempt employees for medical or religious reasons. 

Peterson cited recent vaccine mandates by major national employers, as well as local policies from organizations like Summerfest and Pabst Theater Group. He noted support for teacher vaccination requirements from U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and Dr. Anthony Fauci.

"The recent upsurge in COVID-19 delta variant, and its increasing impact on children, tells us that what we are doing is still not enough," Peterson said. "We need to have healthy teachers and staff if we’re going to keep our schools open this year.” 

Chicago Public Schools announced Aug. 13 that its employees must be vaccinated, with some exceptions for medical and religious reasons. The move followed California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement that all schools in California would require vaccinations for staff.

The two largest teachers' unions in the country have said they support requiring educators to get vaccinated or face regular testing. Locally, Amy Mizialko, president of the Milwaukee Teachers Education Association, said the chapter has not yet met to take a stance on the issue. 

Mizialko, speaking at the committee meeting Tuesday, did note that MTEA has advocated for MPS to offer incentives for vaccination since spring — as many other districts have done with cash payments — to no avail. 

"Incentivizing vaccination is an immediate action to protect the students and staff of MPS," she said. "The board and administration can and should bring this item to the full board next week while MPS deliberates the longer term consideration of a vaccine mandate."

One person who identified as a district employee, without spelling their full name, spoke against a vaccine mandate. 

“I have spiritual beliefs that I live by daily and am not led to vaccinate," the speaker said. "I believe vaccination is a private and personal choice.” 

It’s unclear how many staff and students are already vaccinated, as neither health department nor MPS officials have kept track or done surveys. 

In Milwaukee County, about 50% of residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine. The numbers are higher for older adults and lower for teens. About 42% of residents ages 15-19 and 20% of those ages 10-14 have received at least their first dose, according to health department data.

Contact Rory Linnane at rory.linnane@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @RoryLinnane.