ANNE ARUNDEL, Md — There's a new vaccination requirement in Anne Arundel County Public Schools as employees and high school student-athletes must be fully vaccinated.
Superintendent George Arlotto announced today that starting November 22 employees and students will receive testing if they are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
“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,” Dr. Arlotto said.
When it comes to COVID-19, Dr. Arlotto and the rest of the school system have discussed logistical steps as far as a vaccination or testing model to prevent the spread of the virus.
Initially these COVID-19 protocols were designed for employees but, they began to include student-athletes as the number of positive cases increased in recent weeks. Dr. Arlotto says that requiring vaccinations and testing among athletes will prolong competitive seasons in the winter and spring in sports.
“Vaccinations are the single most effective way to protect yourself and your loved ones,” Anne Arundel County Health Officer Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman said. “The goal of our collaborative efforts is to keep our schools open, and this is a key step towards doing exactly that.”
A process for submitting vaccination certifications and a weekly testing protocol will be announced by mid-October.
