Aurora Public Schools staff will be required to get COVID-19 vaccine

All Aurora Public School employees will be required to get a COVID-19 vaccination now that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration fully approved the Pfizer one this week, district officials said Monday.

Superintendent Rico Munn wrote earlier this month that the approval would be the tipping point for requiring vaccinations for the entire district’s staff. Moderna and Johnson & Johnson’s shots have not received the same approval as Pfizer.

“The most significant layer to prevent transmission of COVID-19 is for as many people in the APS community to receive the COVID-19 vaccines as possible,” Munn wrote Friday.

Then Damon Smith, the district’s chief personnel officer, emailed employees Monday noting the FDA’s approval and telling staff they must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 7. Those who fail to get the vaccine will face discipline including suspension, leave without pay and possibly termination.

Employees who legitimately cannot be vaccinated will be required to wear masks, socially distance from others and take periodic tests for the virus, Smith wrote.

The district has about 38,000 students and about 6,000 employees, some 2,100 of which are teachers.

The district will join Denver Public Schools in requiring faculty and staff to be vaccinated.

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