Officials: Get a vaccine or test

Noncompliant district staff excluded from school grounds in Stamford

STAMFORD — This week, Stamford employees who have either not been vaccinated against COVID-19 or have not undergone weekly testing have been notified of their noncompliance.

Gov. Ned Lamont’s executive order called for all school staff across the state to be vaccinated by Sept. 27, or undergo weekly testing.

The deadline for the first week of testing was Friday of last week.

Chris Soules, the school district’s human resources director, did not disclose how many employees had been notified this week, but said those who were not in compliance were told they were excluded from school grounds.

“The unpaid status of any employee who is unable to report for work for continued noncompliance with the executive order will be discussed as part of disciplinary proceedings that will begin this week,” Soules wrote, in an emailed message Monday afternoon.

Last week, Soules said only about 175 out of roughly 2,000 full-time Stamford Public Schools employees had indicated a desire for weekly testing.

He said some of the employees who were notified this week were then able to produce documentation showing that they had either been vaccinated or had complied with the weekly testing.

“Human Resources will followup with employees who remain noncompliant with the Executive Order as part of the disciplinary process,” Soules wrote.

This week, Stamford schools will begin offering voluntary COVID-19 testing for students. According to Olympia Della Flora, associate superintendent for school development, about 100 students signed up.

Since classes began in Stamford on Aug. 30, a total of 150 cases of COVID-19 have been reported among students, teachers and staff.

The latest report on Friday showed 26 new cases last week, and 46 people in quarantine as a result.

Soules said a priority testing site has been set up for teachers at the Hillandale Avenue parking lot behind Stamford High School. The site is operated by Stamford healthcare company SEMA4 and offers the nasal swab PCR test at no cost to SPS employees.

But teachers can get tested at other locations, Soules said, as long as the test is administered by a state-licensed clinical laboratory, pharmacy-based testing provider, or other healthcare provider that has a current Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments, or CLIA, waiver.