D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said Monday that all D.C. teachers and school staff and early child-care workers must be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by Nov. 1, eliminating a testing option for these professionals who regularly interact with children who are often too young to be vaccinated.

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       The vaccine mandate was expanded to include workers at charter and private schools and day cares, who were not covered by a requirement announced by Bowser last month that included a test-out option.

       A majority of the D.C. Council has asked the mayor in recent weeks to remove the testing option and extend the vaccine mandate to charter school employees, child-care workers and other city contractors who interact with children.

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       Monday’s announcement will do so, requiring a coronavirus vaccination for those and other school and child-care workers who are not employed by the government.

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       Other D.C. government workers and contractors are still able to opt out of the city’s vaccination requirement by getting tested weekly for the virus.

       Bowser also announced that student-athletes participating in campus sports who are 12 and older must be vaccinated by Nov. 1. Students who turn 12 between Sept. 20 and Nov. 1 must be vaccinated by Dec. 13. Fairfax, Loudoun and Montgomery counties have enacted similar requirements for their student-athletes.

       D.C. government employees must get coronavirus vaccine or get tested weekly, Bowser says

       The city does not have exact numbers on how many school staff members are vaccinated, because the initial requirement to be vaccinated or undergo weekly testing just kicked in Sunday.

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       Officials have said the majority of school staff and government workers are vaccinated. This month, officials have said that 78 percent of D.C. government workers have reported their vaccination status, with 85 percent of those saying they are vaccinated.

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       Still, the first weeks of school have shown that there are a notable number of unvaccinated school staff in the charter and traditional public sectors, with at least a handful of confirmed instances of unvaccinated staff contracting the virus and exposing students, putting them into quarantine.

       While D.C. charter schools were not covered by Bowser’s original mandate, nearly all the city’s 66 charter networks said they would voluntarily enact the mayor’s vaccine or weekly testing requirement. A few went farther further and mandated that their staff be vaccinated as a condition of employment.

       Most D.C. Council calls on mayor to mandate coronavirus vaccines — without testing option — for teachers, child-care workers

       One school, Monument Academy, said seven employees resigned due to the mandate.

       Bowser’s announcement Monday applies to anyone who works with and interacts with schoolchildren, including bus drivers, security staff, cafeteria workers, before- and after-school workers, coaches and more.

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