Sask. school boards considering mandatory COVID vaccinations for staff

Groups have been calling for mandatory vaccinations in Saskatchewan schools for a while, and some divisions could soon be heading in that direction.

The Saskatchewan School Boards Association (SSBA) has been fielding more and more questions from boards about vaccine mandates for staff.

Shawn Davidson, the president of the SSBA, said interest from divisions really picked up after Premier Scott Moe last week encouraged large employers to implement their own mandate.

“Since that time we have been having conversations with our member boards about what that might look like,” Davidson said.

“We’ve provided some information to them in the form of a draft administrative procedure that they may want to consider using all or parts of, and we also have answered several questions that have come from boards around the province about some of the implications and what that might look like for them.”

Davidson didn’t share any of what that draft procedure looked like, saying divisions could take what they wanted from it so procedures would look different from division to division if any decide to implement a mandate.

Davidson said there had been some inquiries from divisions before the provincial announcement but many members were waiting for provincial direction.

“Throughout this entire pandemic we’ve worked very closely with both the provincial and our local medical health officers, so when that recommendation came from the provincial medical health officer, that was the point where boards knew that it was a matter they were going to have to take a closer look at,” said Davidson.

Davidson was clear the discussions are only around mandates for staff, not students. He said as students have a fundamental right to education, divisions can’t mandate vaccines for them.

The association can provide information and support, but Davidson said any ultimate decisions will lie with the school boards themselves.

Regina and Saskatoon boards

The public and Catholic boards in both Regina and Saskatoon all say they’re considering a vaccine mandate for staff but none could give a timeline on when a decision might be made.

The Regina divisions both said their boards will be having more discussions on this issue next week.