Pennsylvania Education

Philly schools to vote on vaccine mandate next week

The School District of Philadelphia school board will hold a vote on whether or not to mandate all staff members be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Darryl C. Murphy

August 20, 2021

Samantha Del Angel gets her second COVID-19 vaccine shot from Westside medical assistant Lizmary Ortega. (Cris Barrish/WHYY)

The School District of Philadelphia school board will hold a vote next week on whether or not to mandate all staff members be vaccinated against COVID-19 before the school year, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

On Aug. 31, 120,000 district students are set to fully return to in-person learning.

WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

If the mandate passes, superintendent William Hite said there would probably be some exemptions, and repercussions for those who do not comply.

“I am a strong proponent of them for all staff,” Hite said during Thursday’s school board meeting.

WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, representing roughly 13,000 teachers, paraprofessionals, counselors, secretaries, and other school employees, said it had not been informed of an impending meeting, but union president Jerry Jordan has said he supports a mandate.

WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.