Mayor de Blasio, Chancellor Porter and Commissioner Chokshi Announce Department of Education Employee Vaccine Mandate

August 23, 2021

Beginning September 27th, City will require proof of vaccination for all New York City Department of Education workers

NEW YORK—Mayor Bill de Blasio, Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter and Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Commissioner (DOHMH) Dr. Dave A. Chokshi today announced a new health care mandate requiring all New York City Department of Education employees to provide proof of first dose of vaccination by September 27th.

“Keeping our students and staff healthy is our top priority,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “To keep our schools healthy and safe, we are now requiring all Department of Education staff to have at least one dose of the vaccine by September 27. Together, we will create a safe and welcoming school experience for our kids.”

“As a parent, I put the health and safety of my children first, always. Parents can be assured this fall that their school communities and the phenomenal school staff our children interact with every day are protected by safe, effective vaccines,” said Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter. “This is another layer to our multi-layered health and safety strategy and an important step in keeping our school communities safe.”

“The vaccine is both a personal defense against disease and a community defense against spread,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Dave A. Chokshi. “When it comes to younger children, our defenses are their defenses. This is the right policy where it matters most – in our schools.”

This mandate is in alignment with recommendations from the CDC, which has recommended that school teachers and staff be vaccinated as soon as possible because vaccination is the most critical strategy to help schools safely resume fully in the fall. It will apply to all 148,000 Department of Education (DOE) employees, including school-based and central staff, as well as DOE contractors who work in school-based settings. Currently at least 63 percent of DOE employees have at least one dose. This number will continue to increase in the lead-up to the first day of school and reach one hundred percent by September 27th.

Employees will upload proof of their first dose to the DOE Vaccination Portal, which allows all DOE employees and students to provide their vaccination status and to upload proof of vaccination. Accepted uploads can be an image of a vaccination card, NYS Excelsior Pass, or another government record. Submitting this information will support New York City’s pandemic response and recovery efforts, and help ensure that the DOE is a safe place to work for all employees and a safe place to learn for all children. 

More information about locations where New Yorkers can receive a vaccine for COVID-19 can be found at vaccinefinder.nyc.gov.