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‘PSS will not discriminate regardless of vaccination status’
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Posted on Dec 08 2021
In the Public School System’s efforts to keep students safe from COVID-19, CNMI Board of Education chair Andrew L. Orsini said that PSS will continue with safety measures already in place and that PSS will not discriminate against any student regardless of their vaccination status.
When asked what measures are in place or in the works to protect PSS’ unvaccinated students when in-person classes resume, Orsini cited a part of the CNMI Constitution that requires PSS to offer education to all children. As such, PSS will continue on with its current safety measures and “will not discriminate against any student, be they vaccinated or vaccinated.”
Orsini
PSS’ COVID-19 safety measures include sanitizing all surfaces, wearing face coverings, wearing gloves when necessary, maintaining social distancing, and checking temperatures.
“The PSS will not discriminate against any student, be they vaccinated or vaccinated. The Constitution of the NMI states that we have to offer education to all children and that education is mandatory. We will continue practicing the safety measures for all our students,” said Orsini.
In an email Monday, Orsini also had a message to parents and guardians of unvaccinated children. “Our only message to parents of unvaccinated children is to inform their child to be aware of the safety measures that are already in place for their child’s safety,” he said.
Briefly addressing the three cases of COVID-19 found on Oct. 28 through a collaboration among PSS, the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp., and the Governor’s COVID-19 Task Force, Orsini made clear that “schools did not bring or spread the virus into our community.” Rather, through PSS’ school-based testing sites “we were able to know the virus was already here,” he said.
