Oct. 05, 2021
Throughout the pandemic, the CBE has acted to protect the health and safety of students, employees and the wider community while prioritizing in-person learning. We want to minimize disruptions in schools and give all students the opportunity to participate fully in their learning.
With support from the Board of Trustees, the CBE has therefore made the decision to require that all employees, volunteers and CBE partners be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dec. 17, 2021. The CBE’s vaccination requirement applies to all contracted service providers, tenants in CBE buildings and all volunteers.
There will be a transition period to give individuals time to declare their vaccine status and to comply with the requirement. Dates for vaccine status declaration will be determined once the necessary processes are in place to collect and manage this information.
Additional information is forthcoming, including details on vaccine status declaration dates, the short-term process for rapid testing for staff and specifics on exemptions under human rights legislation.
While we also encourage eligible students to be vaccinated, it is not a CBE requirement.
Health authorities state that vaccination is one of the most effective ways of reducing COVID-19 transmission. The CBE Board of Trustees advocated for a provincial vaccine mandate for education sector staff in a Sept. 17 letter to the Minister of Education in response to division and parent concerns over COVID-19 in our schools.
Additionally, the province has released new health guidelines and updated the Alberta Health Daily Checklist. This includes new direction if there is a positive COVID case in your household and your child is not fully immunized.
Please refer to the Alberta Health Services website to determine when testing is required.
Thank you for the ongoing diligence as we work to protect the health and safety of our school communities and preserve the continuity of learning for all students.
Sincerely,
Christopher Usih
Chief Superintendent of Schools
Calgary Board of Education
