Portland Public Schools Imposes Vaccine Mandate With Support From Teachers

Portland Public Schools today announced it will require employees to be vaccinated when in-person school starts Sept. 1.

Gov. Kate Brown said earlier this month that vaccine mandates are up to each local school district.

The district’s two largest employee groups, the Portland Association of Teachers and the Portland Federation of School Professionals, endorsed the district’s decision, which comes as the COVID-19 Delta variant is infecting record numbers of Oregonians.

In a message to her members, PAT president Elizabeth Thiel said a recent survey found that 98 percent of respondents reported being vaccinated. The district will require regular testing of those who for whatever reason have not gotten their shots.

“We know that vaccinations are the first line of defense, and the most important of the many measures we can take to keep our students, school communities and our broader community safe,” PPS Board Chair Michelle DePass said in a statement. “PPS has adjusted throughout the dynamic and ever-changing pandemic, and this mandate is the right step to take now.”

Although the state’s largest public employee union, Service Employees International Union Local 503, last week expressed opposition to a vaccine mandate, teachers will be in contact with children, many of whom (those under 12) cannot yet be vaccinated.

Thiel said her organization welcomes the mandate.

“Vaccination is our most powerful tool to get our students back to in-person learning, and restore the interaction and personal connection that is such a crucial part of learning,” she said in a statement. “While the vast majority of PAT members are already vaccinated, this mandate is an important step toward ensuring that everyone in our school communities is vaccinated, if they are able to be.”

Portland is following in the footsteps of larger districts, including Los Angeles and Chicago, which announced vaccine mandates last week.