The Attala County School District held a special school board meeting Monday to approve an incentive plan worth $1,000 for district employees who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
As outlined by the Mississippi Department of Health, the advantages of eligible staff being fully vaccinated include the following:
• Keeping the learning environment safe for in-person learning.
• Lowering the risk of transmission and reducing the severity of illness.
• Limiting school disruptions to in-person learning and extracurricular activities.
• Staff exposed to COVID-19 are not required to quarantine.
ACSD employees are eligible for this financial incentive if they possess the following qualifications:
• An employee who is fully vaccinated prior to Oct. 30, 2021. The employee must have both doses if receiving the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. The one-and-done shot by Johnson & Johnson is permitted, as well.
• Eligible employees include administrators, teachers, counselling staff, librarians, teacher assistants, interventionists, technology staff, nursing staff, maintenance staff, transportation staff, nutrition staff, administrative assistants, and substitutes who work a minimum of 20 days from Aug. 6 through Dec. 21.
• Employees must submit vaccination cards to a district school nurse prior to the Oct. 30 deadline.
• Individuals must remain employed with ACSD through Dec. 30 of this year.
Superintendent Kyle Hammond said there were 50 staff absences during the month of August, many of them the result of quarantine guidelines for unvaccinated staff.
“It's important for our staff not to pass on the virus to other students, so that's part of the reason why we're doing it,” Hammond told the board.
The total cost of the incentives, including salaries plus benefits is $251,901 and will be funded using ESSER-III monies. There are currently 234 employees in the district, so enough money has been budgeted for all staff members to get vaccinated and receive the incentive.
According to Kosciusko Superintendent Billy Ellzey, his district also plans to approve an $1,000 incentive for fully vaccinated staff members during their upcoming board meeting in October. Kosciusko intends to offer the incentive to all district employees, and those who voluntarily provide documentation of already being fully vaccinated will be eligible, as well.
Vaccine doses are available in Kosciusko at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Attala, Sullivan’s Drug & Gifts, Walmart, CVS, and in Durant at Mallory Community Health Center.
