Hoboken Public School District to Require Proof of Vaccination for Students: Students 12 and older must show proof of vaccination or submit to weekly testing

The Hoboken Public School District has announced that students 12 and older must show proof of vaccination for COVID-19 for the upcoming school year, or face weekly testing.

The new requirements were revealed in a reopening plan by the school district. Students along with staff members in the district that do not have proof of vaccination must undergo weekly tests for COVID onsite every Friday, beginning September 17.

The district will also randomly select a percentage (equaling New Jersey’s positivity rate) of students who are not yet age eligible for vaccinations for weekly COVID testing each week starting on September 17.

While the recent lifting of emergency approval for Pfizer doesn’t cover young people ages 12 to 15, these young people can still get the Pfizer vaccine through emergency use authorization. No Covid vaccines have been authorized or approved for use in children under 12. -NBC News August 23, 2021 

Parents and guardians of selected students will be notified two days in advance on Wednesdays so they can either be present for testing, or make arrangements for their child to be tested elsewhere.

Hoboken Staff must also either show proof of vaccination or submit to COVID testing. It is unclear if the district's wording of "staff members" includes teachers and administrators (see Figure 1). 

To view the entire 49 page Full Day Onsite Traditional Learning Hoboken District Plan please CLICK HERE. 

Figure 1
Click to Enlarge 

Full Hoboken Reporter Story: CLICK HERE 

Hoboken School District Receives $5,806,503 in COVID-19 Relief Money - Gov. Murphy Expected to Announce Vaccine Mandate for NJ Teachers

Hoboken, NJ (1978)
Photo by Virginia Parrott

Gov. Phil Murphy is expected to announce a mandate requiring all New Jersey teachers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in the coming days, according to a report from NJ Advance Media.

According to the report, the Garden State would be the third state to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for teachers, behind California and Washington. The report cites two sources "with knowledge of Murphy's plans," calling the announcement "imminent."

It is not clear if the Hoboken Board of Education will be enacting an incentive plan as some communities. For instance, some districts are offering $500 incentives to school staff and teachers who have been vaccinated. 

It is worth noting that the Hoboken School District received $5,806,503 in NJ School Emergency Relief Funds in May of 2021 (see Figure 1). Might they offer vaccination incentives? Or perhaps the Hoboken Board of Education may want to consider returning the $3.8 million they unnecessarily caused taxpayers to pay by overestimating enrollment last year? Or maybe they have some other plan for how they intend to use the funds? 

Figure 1: NJ School Emergency Relief Funds (Hoboken, NJ)

The announcement of the incentive comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials have raised the COVID-19 alert level and reported that hospitalizations are rising at accelerated rates among all age groups, including children.

Hoboken Proposes $1,000 for City Employees Who Get Vaccinated

HOBOKEN, N.J. — In an effort to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates, Hoboken proposed to pay each city employee $1,000 to get the shot.

The city announced the proposal this week as part of a detailed plan, which covers revitalizing small businesses and rent relief for residents, following the procurement of more than $27 million in federal funds.

But the so-called “Hoboken Rescue Plan” raised some eyebrows.

It includes “$600,000 in financial incentives to encourage Hoboken municipal employees to get vaccinated.”

Some quick math shows that, with roughly 600 full time city employees on the payroll, each would be eligible to receive $1,000 — and that money could come to them even if they are already vaccinated.

Completed vaccinations in NJ by county. Hudson County between 70%-80% as of August 16th.

The proposal sparked plenty of conversation online and along Washington street Wednesday.

Citizens, officials and a city spokesperson shared their thoughts with PIX11’s Andrew Ramos in the video above.

Full story and video link to the WPIX story: CLICK HERE