Yes, We Should Require Teachers to Be Vaccinated

Oct 28, 2021 12:00:00 AM

by

While children becoming seriously ill from the coronavirus is exceedingly rare, it is imperative for teachers to be vaccinated in order to keep schools open and add an extra layer of protection for their students, especially those who are immunocompromised or who are ineligible for the vaccine. Yet vaccine mandates for adult staff have been slow to reach into classrooms.

Mandating teacher vaccines makes sense for reasons beyond the obvious protection they offer against this deadly virus. Over the last year, research has shown that “School personnel have been the source of many campus outbreaks.” These outbreaks among unvaccinated teachers have led to countless preventable infections. In August, an unvaccinated California teacher infected half the students in their classroom. The first school to close in New York City this year was due to an outbreak exclusively among staff. With outbreaks and infections come quarantines and school closures. Unvaccinated teachers are contributing to schools being closed.

[pullquote]Vaccinated teachers not only significantly reduce their own and their students’ chances of contracting COVID, they also reduce the need for quarantines — the most disruptive COVID protection strategy there is.[/pullquote] Nationwide, students and classrooms are being forced into quarantining, interrupting a much-needed school year for students who have been out of the classroom for 18 months. 

Granted, vaccine mandates have potential drawbacks. The one of greatest concern has to do with potential staff shortages due to vaccine resistance. Despite popular opinions to the contrary, vaccine resistance transcends partisan and demographic differences. You will find anti-vaxx protests in New York City, just as you will find them in Texas. It doesn’t matter whether a teacher gets their vaccine misinformation from Robert Kennedy Jr., Tucker Carlson, Black Lives Matter or Nikki Minaj. It’s still misinformation. 

Vaccine-resistant school staff could create an employee shortage among teachers, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, etc. However, the recent experience of New York City’s vaccine mandate suggests that once everyone has had a chance to complain, they will move on and get vaccinated

The coronavirus vaccines are the greatest scientific achievement of my lifetime. For a disease that has devastated the world with over 4.5 million deaths, we miraculously developed a safe and effective vaccine in record time. To anyone who still doubts the safety of the vaccines, the dean of Brown University’s school of public health, Dr. Ashish K. Jha, reminds us,

The data is in. We’ve vaccinated nearly half of all humanity (3.4 billion people). The vaccines are safe.

We are beyond privileged to live in the United States, where access to a life-saving vaccine is available on nearly every corner. Vulnerable citizens in developing countries would do anything to have their shot at the vaccine that our citizens take for granted.

This is why I am so puzzled by the Biden administration's lack of urgency on enforcing vaccine mandates for teachers. While the president had no problem threatening private companies to force their employees to be vaccinated, he only passively encouraged teachers to be. Likewise, Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, has been more focused on fighting trivial culture wars over masks, rather than doing what actually works and requiring teachers to be vaccinated.

Ryan Hooper

Ryan Hooper is a 7th grade teacher in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Leave a Comment

The Feed

Explainers

  • Why Math Identity Matters

    Lane Wright

    The story you tell yourself about your own math ability tends to become true. This isn’t some Oprah aphorism about attracting what you want from the universe. Well, I guess it kind of is, but...

  • What's an IEP and How to Ensure Your Child's Needs Are Met?

    Ed Post Staff

    If you have a child with disabilities, you’re not alone: According to the latest data, over 7 million American schoolchildren — 14% of all students ages 3-21 — are classified as eligible for special...

  • Seeking Justice for Black and Brown Children? Focus on the Social Determinants of Health

    Laura Waters

    The fight for educational equity has never been just about schools. The real North Star for this work is providing opportunities for each child to thrive into adulthood. This means that our advocacy...