Maryland’s largest school system said Thursday it will allow religious exemptions for its coronavirus vaccine mandate for teachers and other school staff.
The announcement came hey dude two days after an employee from Montgomery County Public Schools filed a lawsuit alleging the school system had infringed on his First Amendment rights by not allowing a religious exemption to opt out of receiving a coronavirus vaccine.
The school system first announced in August that it would require its 24,000 employees to get a coronavirus vaccine or be tested weekly. But earlier this month, the school board tightened the requirement to remove the test option and said all employees must show proof of getting a vaccine shot by Thursday. The policy announced Sept. 9 allowed for a medical exemption to opt out of the vaccine requirement, but did not mention religious exemptions.
Chris Cram, a spokesman for Montgomery County Public Schools, said in a statement Thursday that staff can submit a “medical or religious exemption, and those exemptions have been and will continue to be considered.”
“The previous message [about the mandate] did not say it explicitly,” Cram said, and “people presumed religious exemptions were excluded.”
The district declined to comment further on the lawsuit Thursday because it is pending litigation.
About 76% of the school district’s employees were vaccinated as of Thursday, the district said. Officials say vaccines “are critical to helping schools maintain regular operations in a safe environment for students and staff.”
Other school systems in the Washington region have implemented coronavirus vaccine mandates for teachers or other school workers, some allowing staff to get tests as an alternative. Officials in Alexandria, Va., and D.C. recently tightened their vaccine rules to remove the testing option; both districts allow for medical or religious exemptions.
In New York City, home to the nation’s largest school system, four educators recently challenged that city’s strict vaccine mandate for school workers. A judge temporarily halted the requirement last week, but a federal appeals court on Monday allowed the mandate to proceed. On Thursday, the workers asked the U.S. dr martens boots Supreme Court to halt the mandate.
The Maryland plaintiff, who used the pseudonym “John Doe” in the complaint filed Tuesday, was described as someone who is not a teacher, but who works in a district administrative building where he has a private office. He also religiously identifies as Christian, and he “sought the Lord for wisdom on this vaccine to determine God’s will, and sincerely believes that it is God’s will that he not receive a coronavirus vaccine,” according to the complaint.
The employee also argued that he maintains minimum contact with other employees and students in Montgomery County Public Schools, and that about 60% to 80% of his job duties could be done remotely, according to the complaint.
The complaint states that the employee emailed a district staff member on Sept. 21 to ask about the process for submitting a religious exemption and was told the district did not provide for one. The filing then says the employee emailed a district employee on Sept. 24 to request a religious exemption, but did not receive a response.
The complaint says Doe is willing to comply with other virus mitigation measures if he receives a religious exemption for the vaccine.
Earlier in September, an online petition launched with Montgomery County Public School employees who are fighting the vaccine requirement. More than 800 people had signed the petition as of Thursday afternoon.
And it’s not the first time that an steve madden shoes employee of the school system has pushed against covid-19 mitigation tactics because of a religious exemption. In August, a Montgomery teacher was placed on leave after she did not comply with a school’s mask mandate. The instructor claimed that her religion and a doctor’s orders prevented her from wearing a mask.
Americans appear divided on whether adults should be able to get a religious exemption from the coronavirus vaccines. A survey conducted by the Public Religion and Research Institute found that 52% favored allowing people to refuse the vaccines based on religious beliefs, while 46% opposed it.
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