Simcoe County area school boards have reported between 62 and 86 per cent of their staff, including teachers, trustees, and other employees, attest they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
All publicly-funded school boards are required by the province to disclose vaccination status rates for teachers and other staff employed with the board.
In August, when announcing a new rule requiring vaccination policies at high-risk settings, the Ministry of Education also announced its intention to introduce vaccination disclosure policies for all publicly-funded school board employees.
Based on a provincial document sent to school boards, the policy applies to all staff and contractors (including bus drivers) with direct contact with students and/or staff for the 2021/22 school year.
School board staff and contractors were required to submit a formal attestation if they were fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The local school board reported the formal attestations were submitted with and without documentation to prove vaccination status.
According to the ministry of education document, school boards are to continue to work to confirm proof of vaccination with vaccine receipts “as quickly as possible.”
Ontario school boards were then required to publicly post the depersonalized statistical information by Sept. 15 and continue to update it monthly.
Those who attest to being unvaccinated and do not provide a medical reason are supposed to complete a vaccination education program prescribed by the ministry of education.
Anyone not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 is required to undergo rapid antigen testing twice a week.
The vaccination rates for Simcoe County school boards are as follows:
- Simcoe County District School Board:
- 86.8 per cent of staff attest to being fully vaccinated (5,792 staff out of 6,667).
- Two staff provided medical exemptions
- 375 staff have not submitted attestation forms
- 79.5 per cent of contractors/others who work with students or staff attest to being fully vaccinated, and the remaining 20.5 per cent have not submitted an attestation form
- 7.5 per cent of individuals subject to the policy are either not fully vaccinated or did not disclose their vaccination status
- Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board
- 68 per cent of staff attest to being fully vaccinated, or 2,392 staff out of 3,523.
- 79.6 per cent of contractors/other have attested to being fully vaccinated
- Seven staff have provided medical exemptions
- 236 staff, and 160 contractors are not immunized for a reason other than medical
- 888 staff have not submitted an attestation form
- Conseil scolaire Viamonde (French public) - covers 56 schools with four in Simcoe County
- 62 per cent of staff attest to being fully vaccinated, or 1,702 staff out of 2,739.
- 71 per cent of contractors/other attest to being fully vaccinated (1,654 people out of 2,358).
- Five contractors and zero school board staff have provided medical exemptions
- 31 per cent of staff (859 people) have not submitted the attestation form.
- Mon Avenir Conseil Scolaire Catholique (French Catholic) - covers 57 and seven are in Simcoe County
- 66.4 per cent of staff attest to being fully vaccinated, or 1,708 staff out of 2,571.
- 3.8 per cent of staff attest to being partially vaccinated
- 11 people have submitted a medical exemption
- 4.6 per cent (119 people) attest they do not plan to be vaccinated and do not have a medical exemption
- 24.7 per cent of staff have not yet submitted an attestation form
- Information on the vaccination status of frequent visitors/ contractors has not been posted yet.
