Superintendent recommends vaccine mandate for all Grafton school staff

Superintendent of Schools Jay Cummings has recommended mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for all staff, with weekly tests proposed for those who are unable to receive the shot.

“Our recommendation is to move forward with vaccinations be required as a term of employment,” Cummings told the School Committee Tuesday night.

The committee did not immediately vote on the proposal, which needs to be reviewed by its policy sub-committee.

Cummings said the proposal was discussed with the bargaining units for teachers and other full-time staff, which agreed that the weekly in-school testing option was preferable to people losing their jobs if they were unable to receive the vaccine.

“I don’t like having to tell someone they have to be vaccinated so I like the alternative of having to be tested,” School Committee member Jennifer Connelly said.

At Grafton High School, 77.7 percent of staff are vaccinated, while Grafton Middle School has a staff vaccination rate of 74.9 percent. With students included in the equation, neither school is qualified to apply to the state for a removal of the mask mandate, which requires 80 percent or more vaccinated.

Statewide, more districts are moving toward a vaccine mandate, Cummings said. Locally, that includes Millbury and Shrewsbury. Both Sutton and Westborough do not mandate vaccination, but their vaccination rates are both over 90 percent.

There are “a lot of moving parts,” Cummings acknowledged. The mandate may have to evolve to include booster shots since it is unknown just how long Covid will stick around.

Many parents are now asking for clinics to distribute vaccines to children aged 5-11, recently approved for shots. Cummings said both Bouvier Pharmacy, which has worked with the district in the past, and the Department of Public Health may offer in-school clinics.

To date, there have been 72 cases of Covid in the Grafton schools since the start of the school year, 10 in the last week.

Something went wrong!

Help support Grafton’s only independent source of news with a donation!