Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday that he will require state municipalities to gather and release teacher vaccination data.
“I think we need clarity on that matter because opening schools is very important,” Cuomo said. “Opening school is very important for children, as we know, and it has economic consequences.”
The United Federation of Teachers has been keeping a tally of members who seek and receive the shots through their signup system.
The city also tracks educators who get vaccinated through other avenues — but union chief Michael Mulgrew said last month that they weren’t producing the figures.
“We’re going to ask the local districts to report on how many teachers have been vaccinated,” Cuomo said, adding that he hopes to start getting the data on Wednesday.
City Hall and the Department of Education did not immediately comment on Cuomo’s order.
“Most people will say they’re sympathetic with the teachers’ point that they want to be vaccinated,” Cuomo remarked. “Alright, so let’s find out where we are, and get some facts. So we can determine a policy going forward.”
The White House on Sunday stated that teacher vaccinations are not necessarily a prerequisite to reopening schools.
But Mulgrew has been clear in encouraging city teachers to seek out the shot.
