By JESSICA BRICKER
Depending on which way the U.S. Supreme Court decides, Bluffton school officials may be faced with addressing a COVID-19 vaccination mandate for staff within the district’s schools.
Superintendent Brad Yates said Monday that he provided the board members of Bluffton-Harrison Metropolitan School District with a drafted policy from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which issued an emergency temporary standard in November requiring all employers with staffs of 100 or more to require all workers be fully vaccinated or to wear a face covering while working and be tested for COVID-19 once every seven days.
The OSHA policy went into effect Monday and the testing requirement goes into effect Feb. 9, Yates said, but it’s been legally challenged throughout the country. The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Friday.
The state’s OSHA and the Indiana School Boards Association has advised BHMSD “to begin the process to establish procedures to comply with the ETS by determining employee vaccination status, maintaining confidential records documenting employees’ vaccination status, and evaluating testing procedures and masking requirements for unvaccinated employees,” according to information Yates provided.
That data collection is underway at BHMSD and Yates said he is meeting with the Bluffton-Harrison Teachers Association Tuesday to discuss the matter in order “to develop the best possible outcomes given the situation placed upon our school corporation.”
Yates said at best, he would estimate about 50 percent of the district’s staff is unvaccinated, or about 120 to 130 people who would have to get tested weekly.
“So (there are) a lot of ifs in this scenario right now, but we’re trying to plan for the worst and kind of see where all the requirements fall,” Yates said. “It will be a short window, depending on how quickly the Supreme Court comes back with their decision.”
The school board intends to schedule a special meeting before the end of January to further discuss the policy. Because of the pending court case, Yates did not recommend any action Monday.
“If required to implement, the draft policy will undoubtedly create many questions from our employees as well as the potential for individuals to become frustrated with the requirements placed upon employers,” Yates said.
Speaking with a medical professional background, Board President Julie Thompson said there are two issues coinciding right now: There aren’t enough tests available and there aren’t enough places to administer the tests if the district doesn’t provide them.
“Honestly, it’s overwhelming hospitals across the state,” she said.
Yates said there is a limited supply of rapid tests to tap into, but if that “switch” is flipped and all employers of 100 or more are required to test, all school districts will be faced with the same uncertainty.
jessica@news-banner.com
