Philadelphia, Quietly, Drops Covid Vaccine Mandate for New Teacher Hires

The Philadelphia School District quietly let it be known today, via the Philadelphia Inquirer, that new teachers will not be required to have had the COVID-19 shots. This is sure to be a welcome relief to many parents who have seen their children experience too many classrooms without teachers or even substitutes.

The school district has been crushed on both sides of the COVID crisis. Many teachers who were whipped into a panic by the city’s health agency into believing that teaching children posed a serious risk to their lives abandoned their careers. Hundreds of others retired, left the district, or would not take a position with the district due to the shots requirement.

We will keep a close eye on Philadelphia to see if it can recover from these policies and return staffing levels to at least pre-Covid levels.