California mandates vaccines or testing for school employees

Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Wednesday that all school staff in the state have to get vaccinated or undergo regular COVID-19 testing.

Newsom said the state of California would become the "first state in the country" to do so. The mandate would apply to all school employees such as teachers, custodians, aides, and bus drivers.

School employees must show proof of vaccination or get tested at least once per week. The new policy will start on August 12 and schools must fully comply by October 15.

Melanie Ramirez, a seventh grader at Nellie N. Coffman Middle School, said the mandate will help her continue in-person classes and not go back online.

"I will feel more protected if they did, and feel more safe," she said. "Online school was like, a struggle for me because I didn't like it that much. And now that I'm going to in-person school, it's getting a little bit more easy for me."

The president of the Palm Springs Teachers Association, Karen Johnson, said the group is working with the Palm Springs Unified School District to implement the new mandate. PSUSD said it has been offering vaccines and weekly testing for months now and will continue to do so.

"Our main focus is to educate our students. That's our main goal," said Johnson. "So it doesn't really change what our district is doing or what our district is offering. People can make the choice whether they want to be vaccinated or whether they would choose not to and would like to be tested."

Desert Sands Unified School District and Coachella Valley Unified School District said they will follow the state's new mandate. 

The California Teachers Association is also in support of the mandate. The president of the association said the mandate is the next right step to make sure school communities and kids under 12, who aren't yet eligible for the vaccine, stay safe. 

The president of Desert Sands Teacher's Association, Trina Gonzalez-Alesi, sent News Channel 3 the following statement:

“Desert Sands Teachers Association is working collaboratively with the school district to implement the guidelines that the state has imposed. Our main focus is to keep all staff and students as safe and healthy as possible."

The president of Coachella Valley Teacher's Association, Carrisa Carrera, also sent News Channel 3 a statement regarding the new mandate:

"The recently announced mandate regarding vaccinations or weekly COVID testing for school employees seems to be a reasonable solution to a common concern. The school districts have a responsibility to keep both their employees and students safe. With this new mandate, districts can ensure that everyone has either been vaccinated or has recently tested negative for COVID. Knowing that many of our students aren’t eligible to receive a vaccination, this new mandate should give parents some peace of mind about sending their children to school. Additionally, it provides for those employees who do not wish to be vaccinated a way to keep schools as safe for everyone as possible.”