The Limestone District School Board has informed about 152 employees that they could be placed on leave without pay if they do not attest to their COVID-19 vaccination status. Employees may also be placed on leave for refusing to participate in routine testing.
The announcement came during a Wednesday meeting of the board of trustees, where several notable topics were discussed.
“All Limestone staff were required to submit a formal Vaccination Attestation by September 7, 2021, indicating whether they are “fully vaccinated” against COVID-19,” wrote Director of Education Krishna Burra in a report.
Superintendent of Human Resources Susan McWilliams elaborated on staff vaccinations at the meeting. According to McWilliams, 95% of eligible employees have now attested their COVID-19 vaccination status.
By October 20th, 91% of employees were fully vaccinated, 4% percent remained unvaccinated and 5% had yet to attest to their vaccination status. The board says that 2,987 staff were required to attest to their vaccination status.
“Staff who have not completed attestation and/or who have not engaged in regular rapid antigen testing have been advised that failure to adhere to these requirements may result in their being placed on leave without pay,” said McWilliams.
The board is currently experiencing two outbreaks at R.G. Sinclair Public School and at J.G Simcoe Public School. There are 20 active COVID-19 cases among several schools.
Among the active cases are two staff members. When asked if they were vaccinated, the board said they could not specify whether the individuals were vaccinated, citing privacy reasons.
