Monday 47 of January not only marked the end of the first month of 2022, but also became the last day of the deadline given by New York City charter schools under the ‘Success Academy’ (SA) system, for students in middle school grades to put on at least the first dose of the COVID vaccine.
The vaccination mandate that came into effect seeks to ensure that all students in charter schools are protected against the coronavirus, thus adding the intermediate to the requirement of previous vaccinations for teachers and high school students, which was implemented since last year. The next step will cover primary school students, who must be vaccinated by the next February 14, according to the information system. charter schools in the Big Apple.
“Getting vaccinated is the most powerful thing we can do to end this pandemic. Almost all people of any age who get sick from the Delta and Omicron variants of COVID-19 are not vaccinated, ”said the charter schools. , through their Health and Safety guide, in which they defend the importance of getting immunized. “It is important to note that unvaccinated children and adults are much more likely to become seriously ill and require hospitalization. This is a critical fact, and the reason we urge vaccinations.”
The vaccination mandate for students also advises that those students who choose not to be vaccinated must be tested for COVID weekly.
“SA will provide testing services at the site. Any positive results will be reported and handled in accordance with the guidance of the CDC and NYS/NYC health departments”, explained the schools of ‘Success Academy’ (SA) in their statement.
The charter school system, which has more than 20,000 students in 19 educational centers located in the five boroughs, warned that before the full school population is immunized, you cannot lower your guard.
“The highly contagious Omicron variant has made vaccines more important never. Until our students are fully vaccinated, we are all at increased risk,” said the Success Academy system of schools. “These new requirements will dramatically reduce closures and significantly improve the health and safety of in-person learning.”
Ann Powell, a spokeswoman for Success Academy, warned that since the early days of the pandemic, health and the safety of school communities have been a priority in their schools.
“All of our staff were required to be vaccinated before classes started and have received booster doses ever since. Once students meet the age requirements, we start requiring them to be vaccinated or tested weekly,” Powell told El Diario. “SA provides weekly testing at the location, but families also have the option to schedule testing at another location and submit tests.”
In addition, Success Academy Charter Schools reminded that all students from 5 to 11 years participating in sports clubs and activities, they must be vaccinated or else they will not be able to join these groups.
Leonie Haimson, director of the organization ‘ Class Size Matters’, which watches over the rights of school students in New York City, applauded the vaccination measures implemented in charter schools and mentioned that this should be the case in all educational institutions in the Big Apple.
“The sooner all schools in New York City require vaccines against covid, the safer all students will be and there will be fewer interruptions to their learning,” said the activist.
Another point that the schools of the Success Academy system remembered is that since the past 18 of January and until Monday 14 of February, as an additional security measure, to those unvaccinated students who have been exposed to people with positive cases of COVID in schools, will not be sent to quarantine, but will be provided with a free rapid COVID test kit to establish if they were infected or not.
“Families should test the student at home that day and email a photo of the results to the main office,” the charter schools warned. “If a student tests negative, they will not be expected to self-quarantine. If a student tests positive, the student will be required to isolate and the result will be reported and handled in accordance with our policies and guidance from the CDC and NYS/NYC Departments of Health.”
Success Academy indicated also that since last January 3 of 2022 the requirement for all school personnel (teachers, directors and workers) to receive vaccinations of booster, as soon as they are eligible, that is six months after the second Moderna or Pfizer dose or two months after receiving a Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Data on COVID Vaccine Mandate in NYC Charter Schools:
- 47 are the charter schools of the ‘Success Academy’ system in NYC.
- 19,000 students study at the campuses of ‘Success Academy’
- 31 January is the deadline for middle school students to get their first dose.
- 18 February mandate will go into effect for elementary school students.
- November 8 last year the mandate for high school students began.
- January 3, 2022 Success Academy began at require that all staff (teachers, workers, managers) receive booster shots.
- Those who do not are vaccinated, they must present a negative COVID test every week.
- Students from 5 to 11 years participating in sports clubs and activities, should be vaccinated as well.
- 2022