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Date: 9/15/2021
AMHERST – The Amherst Regional School Committee could vote on coronavirus vaccine requirements for staff and students at its Sept. 23 meeting.
At the request of the School Committee, the Board of Health discussed and approved a policy at its Sept. 9 meeting that would add FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines to the list of immunizations required for a student to attend public schools in Amherst. This rule would apply to students ages 16 and older.
Amherst-Pelham Regional School District Superintendent Michael Morris told Reminder Publishing that at its previous meeting the School Committee referred the issue to the Board of Health and with the approval would begin developing the implementation process for the new policy.
“There is no mandate in effect right now,”?he noted. “The committee referred the matter to the Board of Health with the intention of the Board of Health making the decision because they are health experts and we are not.”
Amherst Public Health Nurse and acting Health Director Jennifer Brown echoed Morris’ message, stating, “We gave it a thumbs-up and now the School Committee will get down to the logistics.”
The policy notes the potential for medical or religious exemptions. When asked by Reminder Publishing for examples of potential exemptions, Morris said that was still to be determined.
“The Board of Health approved two exemption categories, but the committee will discuss the exemption process as part of the meeting,”?he said.
Morris and Brown also confirmed that as of Sept. 10, Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools’ vaccination rate among students ages 12 to 15 was 82 percent and the 16 to 18 age range is estimated to be similar.
The committee could also vote on a vaccine requirement for staff after the issue was debated at its previous meeting.
“The School Committee talked about that and got feedback and I would say there is a reasonable expectation of a vote [on Sept. 23],” Morris said.
The policy decision is not subject to collective bargaining, however, he noted, the implementation of the policy would be.
An estimated 76 percent of the Amherst population are at least partially vaccinated, according to the town’s calculations based on Massachusetts Department of Public Health Data.
Coronavirus cases in Amherst in general have risen in recent weeks with the town reporting 299 active cases with an incidence rate of 12.4 per 100,000 residents as of Sept. 13.
Brown cited a “rapid increase” in cases among the 18-to 21-year-old population, which she attributed primarily to “off-campus UMass students.” She noted the majority of these students are vaccinated – the university reports more than 97 percent of their student population have received at least one dose – and as a result the illnesses have been short-lived and the symptoms, when present, have not been as strong.
Morris explained while there have been cases of COVID-19 detected among students, “I can say confidently that there has been no in-school spread, according to the contact tracing.”
In then event of a positive test in a school building, the district has begun notifying families and close contacts via email in the same fashion it did last school year. He and Brown added the public can access coronavirus data for the district on the dashboard.
“We try to be really transparent with the data,”?Morris said.
Brown added she was “really proud of what the community is doing” and called Morris “a great advocate for his students and staff.”