2 community colleges require worker shots
Schools following federal vaccination mandate
Arizona’s two largest community college systems will require employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to meet federal mandates, officials announced this week.
The Maricopa County Community College District emailed employees Monday to alert them to the new requirement. Pima Community College approved its plan at a Wednesday governing board meeting.
Arizona’s three public universities announced employee vaccine requirements last month. The universities and community colleges are following President Joe Biden’s executive order for federal contractors, which requires all employees to be fully vaccinated, with limited accommodations.
Maricopa Community Colleges’ about 12,500 employees will have until Jan. 7 to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or apply for an accommodation. That employee count includes faculty, staff, student workers, and full-time, part-time and temporary employees, according to a spokesperson. The requirement will apply to volunteers and remote and virtual employees.
Pima Community College’s about 2,400 full-time, part-time and temporary employees likely will have until Jan. 4. About 1,000 employees already have voluntarily shown proof of full vaccination, per the college.
Both Maricopa and Pima community college districts will have to provide reasonable accommodations for employees who decline vaccination for medical, disability or religious reasons.
Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University in mid-October announced their more than 52,000 employees, including student workers, would have to be fully vaccinated or receive a religious, disability or medical accommodation by Dec. 8, although the deadline has been pushed back to January, per university websites.
Details of the colleges’ requirements
MCCCD, which includes 10 community colleges across the Valley, listed in its email to employees a number of federal contracts that necessitate the vaccine requirement.
The district works with federal agencies including the Department of Defense, military branches, Veterans Affairs,
Homeland Security and the National Science Foundation.
“Among other things, these contracts and programs allow MCCCD to provide career training and degree opportunities to members of the military and veterans,” interim Chancellor Steven Gonzales wrote in the email to employees, which was provided to The Arizona Republic by a spokesperson.
The district has organized virtual “Federal COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Town Halls” next week to explain the requirements and process to employees and answer questions.
Pima Community College Chancellor Lee Lambert told the governing board that the requirement was necessary because the college contracts with the federal government. Its contracts total more than $4 million, with the biggest partner being the United States Air Force, he said.
“This is about safety and the health of our employees,” Lambert said. “It’s about the health and safety of our community, so I don’t want us to lose sight of that bigger picture piece.”
In documents shared with the board, district officials said employee sickness due to COVID-19 has a direct negative impact on the college through disruption and health insurance claims.
The board unanimously approved the employee vaccine requirement.
Pima will need to develop a plan to implement the mandate, including a verification and accommodations system and “contingency plans to minimize disruption of services and operations due to employees who are terminated due to refusal to comply,” according to board documents.
Students at both the community college systems will not have to get vaccinated under current requirements, unless they are student workers for the college.
Biden signed an executive order on Sept. 9 requiring vaccinations for federal contractors, which includes universities and colleges that have contracts with the United States government.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey maintained opposition to vaccine mandates when the three public universities announced their employee requirements last month, reiterating his view that the vaccine should be a choice rather than a requirement.
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s effort to halt implementation of the mandate was denied by a federal judge earlier this week.