Anne Arundel County Superintendent Arlotto announced that all public schools will require staff and high school athletes to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing.
Schools Superintendent George Arlotto made the announcement yesterday. “We still need to finalize some parts of the plan, but announcing an effective date now allows our employees and families of our high school students to begin to either gather the necessary information or become fully vaccinated by November 22 if they choose to do so,” said Dr. Arlotto.
According to an Anne Arundel County Schools press release:
Anne Arundel County Public Schools will require employees and high school student-athletes to certify they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing beginning November 22, 2021, Superintendent George Arlotto announced today.
Dr. Arlotto has previously stated that he favors implementation of a vaccination-or-testing model, and the school system has been putting the final logistical steps in place to enact it for several weeks. As it has on COVID-related matters since the inception of the pandemic, the school system has been discussing the model with the Anne Arundel County Department of Health.
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A process for submitting vaccination certifications and a weekly testing protocol will be announced by mid-October.
The school system is also finalizing a contract with a vendor to provide surveillance testing of unvaccinated students whose families provide consent to do so. Testing for symptomatic students and staff has been available in school health rooms since last spring.
