A memo to elementary school teachers from the director of elementary education of the Anchorage School District makes it clear that if staff members are not vaccinated against Covid-19, and if they contract Covid, they will need to quarantine, and that time off will be taken directly from their sick leave bank.
Those who are vaccinated and who get breakthrough cases of Covid will not be penalized, setting up a two-tiered class system for how staff will be docked financially if they get a specific illness — Covid.
“We intend to incentivize the staff behavior we would like to see taking place, in this case 100% staff vaccination. With that in mind we are reopening the COVID leave process that was in place last year with some important qualifications and conditions. If a staff member verifies with proof of a positive COVID test and proof of their status as a vaccinated staff member, their mandatory absence for illness and quarantine will not require them to use their own leave. If the person is unvaccinated however, the leave welcome from their personal account,” wrote Dan Barker, of the Anchorage School District.
“With this said, if you are wanting to use the type of leave, the administration will be asking to see your COVID vaccine card and copy of your positive test. If you do not want to disclose this information to me then you will need to use your own sick leave days,” he added.
The district may not have considered that those who get a mild case of Covid, which most cases are, may subsequently choose not to report it to the district and may report back to work before a safe quarantine period is completed, which is considered to be about 10 days, in order to avoid the financial penalty.
The Anchorage School District also has a strict masking policy for all staff, teachers, students and visitors, which is effective in stopping or reducing transmission of the Covid virus, according to the district.
