MSD not requiring teachers, staff to be vaccinated on return to school

MEDFORD, Ore. — The Medford School District is laying the foundation for what its Summer Experience will look like with COVID-19. The district says it’s also a preview of what students may see in the fall.

MSD says masking requirements are changing, and won’t be required for students or faculty. We’ve also learned, Medford teachers and staff will not be required to be vaccinated.

“There is no vaccination requirement for faculty for stuff or for students,” said MSD Superintendent Bret Champion.

The Medford School District will not require teachers to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Governor Brown lifted the majority of COVID-19 restrictions at the end of June. Since then, MSD has been crafting what its environment will look like come fall.

“Paying attention to what makes the most sense educationally, and what is it that would benefit our students the most,” said Champion.

After working with Jackson County Public Health, these are the updated guidelines:

  • Contact logs will still be in place to track the spread of Covid.
  • Other safety measures like disinfecting and increased air filters will continue.

Here’s where the change comes in:

  • Three-feet physical distancing to the maximum extent possible will now be implemented.
  • Face coverings are now optional.

“The guidelines follow for everyone if a teacher wants to wear a mask absolutely they are welcome to do so, if teachers don’t want to wear it, absolutely they now have the ability to do so,” said Champion.

Champion says MSD does not keep track of employee vaccination status and is not requiring them to be vaccinated, though the state allows it.

“There has not been one conversation, not one, about requiring vaccinations for anyone,” said Champion.

Concerned parents who aren’t comfortable with their kids at school around unvaccinated adults, do have options Champion says. Their child can wear a mask, or join the Medford Online Academy.

“Those options are definitely open for Medford Online Academy if folks want to avail themselves of that,” said Champion.

The guidance will be in effect for the Summer Experience Program and is the direction the district is leaning for the coming school year. The Oregon Department of Education will shares additional guidance later this month.

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Jenna King is the 6pm and 11pm anchor for NBC5 News. Jenna is a Burbank, CA native. She graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Sports Business. During her time at Oregon she was part of the student-run television station, Duck TV. She also grew her passion for sports through her internship with the PAC 12 Network. When Jenna is not in the newsroom you can find her rooting for her hometown Dodgers, exploring the outdoors or binging on the latest Netflix release.
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