Did You Know? Vaccine Mandates Applies to School Volunteers--KSD

An internal Kennewick School District email confirms what perhaps many in our community did not know, that even volunteers who assist in school programs and activities are under the Inslee vaccine mandate.

The email states:

As a reminder, the COVID-19 vaccine mandate also applies to school volunteers. Please be prepared to provide verification of your vaccine when filling out your volunteer application for your child’s school.

The District says it's continuing to work to hire substitutes, and this includes all areas, especially the stressed transportation areas-bus drivers.

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The District says 98 percent of its workers are vaccinated or have an official exemption. Of those 83 percent are considered fully vaccinated.

The full email is reprinted below:

KSD Community,

We want to update our community on Kennewick School District’s status meeting Governor Inslee's directive requiring all employees working for K–12 schools to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or obtain a religious or medical exemption by Oct. 18.

As of today, we have 98 percent of our current/active employees with a confirmed vaccination or an approved exemption. Of those employees, 83% are fully vaccinated.

Employees who received approval for a religious or medical exemption are required to take additional measures based on their role and duties to limit the spread of COVID-19. These measures may include using specified face coverings and additional physical distancing.

We are working hard to fill all vacant positions in the district as well as hire more substitutes in all areas so that we can continue to offer our families the bus transportation and other support services that they rely on. Thank you for your patience as we may need to make adjustments to some bus routes during this time.

Anyone interested in pursuing a substitute position with the school district this year should plan on attending the Kennewick School District Job Fair from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 20 at the administration center located at 1000 W 4^th Ave. Hiring representatives will be on-hand to tell job seekers more about the paid training, flexible schedules, benefits and hiring bonuses.