At tonight’s City Council meeting, Councilman John Goncalves (Ward 1) proposed a resolution requesting Governor Dan McKee and Education Commissioner Angelica Infante-Greene impose a state-wide policy mandating all K-12 teachers and school employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine or comply with weekly testing.
“The COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective. It is the best way for school employees to protect themselves as well as the students they serve. With many Providence students still too young for vaccination, it is important to ensure that teachers who care for these children all day, five days a week, do not go unvaccinated and untested,” stated Councilman John Goncalves.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Providence County has been classified as an area of substantial COVID-19 transmission. Nearly 800,000 Rhode Islanders have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, however school children under 12 years of age are not yet eligible, leaving them at a high risk for contracting and spreading the virus.
“It is critically important for the safety of our school community that we vaccinate as many people as possible for COVID-19 who interact with our students, staff, and teachers. We now have a safe and effective FDA-approved vaccine that will provide a path back to a more normal school experience for our kids. I appreciate Councilman John Goncalves’ and the city council’s work on this resolution to increase vaccine update,” says Dr. Liz Goldberg, MD, ScM, Emergency Physician and Providence School Board Member.
Surrounding states including New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Delaware have required their K-12 teachers to get vaccinated or go through weekly testing. Tonight’s resolution indicates that exemptions could be made for those with legitimate medical or religious restrictions.
“The School Board is working directly with the Superintendent and senior leadership at PPSD to support the District’s ongoing vaccination efforts. Increasing vaccination uptake is an important way to improve safety in our schools and we look forward to working collaboratively with our school partners to enhance uptake,” added Kinzel Thomas, President of the Providence School Board.
This resolution was co-sponsored by Councilwoman Kat Kerwin (Ward 12), Councilman Oscar Vargas (Ward 15), Councilwoman Helen Anthony (Ward 2), Councilor Rachel Miller (Ward 13), Councilor David Salvatore (Ward 14) Councilman Nicholas Narducci (Ward 4), Councilwoman Carmen Castillo (Ward 9) and Councilman Michael Correia (Ward 6) and was referred to the Committee on Ordinances.
