Board Established to Review Vaccine Exemptions for Students

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By Shermain Bique-Charles

[email protected]

A board chaired by the Director of Education Clare Browne has been established by the Cabinet to review vaccine exemptions for students.

The government reported yesterday that the board, which also consists of a general practitioner, an attorney and a pediatrician, will look into exemption letters and make a determination after examination.

Meanwhile, the recommencement of face-to-face learning is subjected to the vaccination status of the teaching faculty and, where possible, those students who qualify for vaccination.

About 80 percent of teachers are already vaccinated, though not to the satisfaction of the government, which is hoping the remaining 20 percent will fall in line.

The decision to re-open schools will also be reviewed next week, Information Minister Melford Nicholas informed the media yesterday.

All this comes on the heels of a recently concluded three-day session where a group of 50 prospective substitute teachers were trained to compensate for any staffing shortfall caused by the government’s public sector vaccine mandate.

These teachers, according to the Director of Education, will be paid a flat fee for three months, or up until December 31, 2021, to be deployed as he sees it.

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