Most Louisiana schools say they are not forcing educators to get vaccinated

BATON ROUGE, La. – Most Parish Schools say they are not forcing educators to get vaccinated, but do they do need to since more children will be in the classroom come fall?

LSU officials say they will not require students to get vaccinated before returning for fall classes, but will that same protocol follow for teachers on high school and elementary level? It may be the end of the school year, but that doesn’t mean educators aren’t looking ahead to see how next year will fall. Despite a year of changes, enforcing pandemic protocols, cleaning and reshaping schedules, most parish schools choose not to make their teachers get the vaccine like West Feliciana Parish.

“We met with some local doctors and our hospital, and we worked on providing some frequently asked questions listed. So, that was our way of trying to help our employees take a look at all of the information, make the best available decision that’s best for you and your family and let us know,” says Superintendent Hollis Milton.

Milton says that at least 75% of their teachers of the vaccine.

Even though most elementary students will not be able to get the vaccine, the parish school board left it up for their teachers to decide.

“We provided safety measures that the CDC and the Louisiana Department of Health have provided, and so I feel like most people are very comfortable with what we’re doing. It’s matter of fact 91% of our students are choosing to face to face instruction,” adds Milton.

The Louisiana Department did reach with this statement saying: “There is no state mandate that requires anyone to be vaccinated. It is a personal choice to get vaccinated, though the Department strongly encourages people to get vaccinated as soon as possible. We know people have questions, which is why we are committed to getting our residents the facts and removing barriers so that everyone has the opportunity to get vaccinated.

The vaccines are the state’s best hope in preventing more serious illness and deaths, ending this pandemic and getting back to the Louisiana we know and love. More than 1 million Louisianans have been completely vaccinated and more have received at least one dose, and we suggest everyone take the opportunity to join those residents in bringing back Louisiana.”

Most schools say they conducted a survey before vaccines became accessible to see who wanted the shot and helped teachers get signed-up when they were ready.

BESSE will actually have a board meeting tomorrow morning where they will discuss on improving the classroom setting during the pandemic.