Dear Superintendents,

The U.S. Department of Labor announced the OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for public inspection on the Federal Register 2021-23643.pdf (federalregister.gov). Wyoming school districts are included in the ETS, which is effective immediately – school districts should plan for compliance. 

Why Wyoming? Wyoming has an OSHA-approved state plan along with 25 other states plus two territories.

Among requirements, employers must:

  • Provide paid time to workers to get vaccinated and to allow for paid leave to recover from any side effects.
  • Determine the vaccination status of each employee, obtain acceptable proof of vaccination status from vaccinated employees and maintain records and a roster of each employee’s vaccination status.
  • Require employees to provide prompt notice when they test positive for COVID-19 or receive a COVID-19 diagnosis. Employers must then remove the employee from the workplace, regardless of vaccination status; employers must not allow them to return to work until they meet required criteria.
  • Ensure each worker who is not fully vaccinated is tested for COVID-19 at least weekly (if the worker is in the workplace at least once a week) or within 7 days before returning to work (if the worker is away from the workplace for a week or longer).
  • Ensure that, in most circumstances, each employee who has not been fully vaccinated wears a face covering when indoors or when occupying a vehicle with another person for work purposes.
  • Comply with most requirements within 30 days of publication and with testing requirements within 60 days of publication.

Litigation against this vaccine mandate has been swift, including from Wyoming. Here are a few related articles and releases:

Our staff and the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services (entity that houses OSHA) began the discussion about this eventuality several weeks ago. We both anticipate learning more from federal agencies next week – We will share information with you as it becomes available.

toy

Wyoming Teachers of the Year (Dane Weaver-2020, Alexis Barney-2021) met with Senator Barrasso during their trip to Washington, DC

Veterans Day is November 11

Many events taking place across the nation will be streamed, including the popular wreath-laying at Arlington National Cemetery. According to the website, this year’s event can be “viewed online at @ARLINGTONNATL” at 11:00AM.

Here are a few Veterans Day reads that I have enjoyed over the years:

Memos to be released today:

Blue Balow Signature

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