FLORRISANT, Mo. (KMOX) - The Ferguson-Florissant School District announced that all staff will need to be fully vaccinated or participate in weekly COVID-19 testing when school starts this year.
They are the first major district in the St. Louis area to instate a vaccine mandate for staff. Students are not required to be vaccinated, but the district recommends everyone 12-years-old and over get vaccinated.
"Widespread vaccination is one of the best mitigation tools in providing safer schools and working environments for students and staff. Requiring all staff to be vaccinated will also help the District support the collective goal of providing students with five-day in-person learning with the least amount of disruption during the school year in the safest way possible," reads a statement from the district," Superintendent Dr. Davis said in a statement.
The district released details for a "safe return" to in-person classes, which begin Aug. 25.
The Kansas City School District was the first in Missouri to issue a vaccine mandate for staff. The Maplewood Richmond Heights School District could be announcing a similar mandate as Superintendent Bonita Jamison said in a recent statement that they would be updating their vaccination policy after reviewing staff vaccination percentages.
Multiple colleges in the area have also announced vaccine requirements for staff, including St. Louis University, Washington University, Webster University and the University of Illinois.
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