Due to staffing shortages, Montgomery County Public Schools is now allowing weekly COVID-19 testing for staff, according to Bethesda Beat. Previously, MCPS said they would terminate any employee not fully vaccinated by October 29, unless they provided a medical exemption.
MCPS will now allow unvaccinated employees to submit a negative COVID test on a weekly basis, or face disciplinary action up to and including termination, according to a letter sent to MCPS staff.
Back in September the Board of Education passed a resolution stating that, “all staff employed by MCPS provide verification that they have received at least the first COVID-19 shot by Sept. 30, 2021, and verification of the second shot by Oct. 29, 2021, unless they request an exemption based on a medical reason documented by a medical doctor. If a medical exemption is granted, the employee must submit to regular COVID-19 testing as required by MCPS”.
There are currently about 700 MCPS employees that have disclosed they are unvaccinated, and 578 that have not reported their vaccine status. Employees that have not reported their status received a letter from MCPS letting them know that they will not be paid for work on November 24 (Thanksgiving holiday) and could face further discipline if they continue to fail to disclose vaccination status, according to the report.