Eighty-one percent of Jackson Public Schools employees are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 after the district set a deadline of Nov. 1 for staff to get the shots.<\/p>\n
Of the districts 3,468 employees, 512 remain unvaccinated. Three-hundred are tested weekly, according to Sherwin Johnson, executive director of public engagement for JPS.<\/p>\n
Just over half of Hinds County residents are fully vaccinated, according to the Mississippi Department of Health. <\/p>\n
The Board of Trustees approved the policy in September, shortly after Natchez-Adams School District passed a vaccine incentive policy. That district also set a deadline of Nov. 1. <\/p>\n
The JPS policy also says that if a fully vaccinated employee contracts COVID-19 that person will be entitled to paid leave. Unvaccinated employees will not receive that benefit unless they are legally exempt because of a medical issue or sincerely held religious belief, per federal law.<\/p>\n
Several other school districts, such as Biloxi, Bay St. Louis-Waveland and Kosciusko are using federal COVID-19 relief funds to incentivize staff to get vaccinated but have stopped short of requiring the vaccination.<\/p>\n
They all cited the loss of instructional time as a result of quarantining or sick teachers and students as one major reason for encouraging staff get vaccinated.<\/p>\n
Jackson Public Schools and Natchez-Adams School District are the only districts the Mississippi Department of Education is aware of that have implemented such a requirement, according to Department spokeswoman Jean Cook.<\/p>\n
Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that 81 percent of staff, not 91 percent, are fully vaccinated.<\/p>\n
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81 percent of employees in Jackson Public Schools fully vaccinated against COVID-19 - Themississippilink<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Eighty-one percent of Jackson Public Schools employees are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 after the district set a deadline of Nov. 1 for staff to get the shots Continue reading