Windsor-Essex Catholic School Board trustees back mandatory vaccination policy

The board of trustees for the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board supports a mandatory vaccination policyfor students and employees.

The board passed a motion at a meeting Wednesday night to send a letter calling on the provincial governmentto add COVID-19 to the list of vaccines that are mandatory for students under the Immunization of School Pupils Act.

The letter also recommends that COVID-19 shots be mandatory for all school employees, volunteers and agencies, with the exception of those unable to get vaccination for a medical reason.

Earlier this month, the province announced that it will set up a vaccine disclosure policy for education workers.

Local cases growing

The motion was put forward by board chairFulvio Valentinis. It comes as COVID-19 cases are surging in Windsor-Essex, with 448 active cases as of Thursday.

Students in the Catholic boardreturn to the classroom from summer break on Sept. 7.

Currently, about half of thoseaged 12 to 17 in Windsor-Essex are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, while 63.7 per cent have at least one dose, according to statistics from the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.

Anyone born in 2009 or before is eligible to receivethe Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.