South San Francisco, CA August 16, 2021 Submitted by Peter Feng, PIO, SSFUSD
Unvaccinated Employees to Undergo Weekly Testing as SSFUSD Fully Reopens
Starting August 16, South San Francisco Unified School District (SSFUSD) will require all employees to either demonstrate proof of vaccination or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing.
“The greatest protection against COVID-19 and its associated variants is vaccination,” said SSFUSD Superintendent Dr. Shawnterra Moore. “We want to be proactive, so we initiated this requirement in consultation with our teacher’s union on August 10. This will help us maintain the safest possible environment for students and staff.”
The new policy comes as elementary, middle, and high school students return to campus for traditional, classroom instruction for the first time in 15 months and at the same time that Governor Newsom announced a similar statewide order.
To help employees meet this new requirement, SSFUSD will provide free testing to anyone who needs it.
Meanwhile, the district has partnered with the County of San Mateo to provide free, drive-through testing in the parking lot of South San Francisco High School.
Employees who undergo testing must share their weekly test results with the district’s human resources department.
According to Dr. Moore, it is not yet possible to mandate vaccinations for all students and employees, because the vaccines have only been authorized for emergency use and are still not universally available to all students.
“Nevertheless, we are closely monitoring evolving health conditions and guidance, and we will adapt our response as the situation changes,” she said. “In the meantime, we will continue to rely on the health and safety measures we have already put in place.”
These include a universal masking policy that requires all students and adults to wear masks in SSFUSD schools and offices, an upgraded HVAC system, and a stable of 30 hospital-grade, mobile disinfection units that harness the power of ultraviolet C (UV-C) rays to sanitize and disinfect entire rooms.
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