Tēnā Koutou Katoa
You may have heard a lot in the news regarding teachers and support staff in schools and the Covid vaccine mandate. However, this also applies to parents and caregivers who are working with our students e.g. volunteers for trips, coaches, managers and drivers of sport and other groups. This is a mandate from the Ministry of Health that as a school we have no discretion over. Please understand that all schools will be following this process. Let us all show manaakitanga towards each other during these new and difficult times.
As such if you are supporting our school with these types of things you will need to give me a copy of your vaccine certificate, a photo of your immunisation card, or an email of verification from the Doctors or the Ministry of Health site.
One easy way to provide proof of vaccination is for people to get a vaccination statement from My Covid Record.
My email address is principal@wairoacollege.school.nz if you would like to email it directly to me. If you could also confirm your contact details in the email that would be appreciated so we can keep our records up to date.
What the requirements are and who they apply to
Everyone who works for a school or kura who may have contact with children or students or will be present at a time when children and students are also present must have had a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by 15 November and be fully vaccinated by 1 January 2022.
From 1 January 2022, schools and kura must only allow those that are fully vaccinated to provide onsite services.
This includes:
principals
teachers
relief teachers and casual staff
administration staff
caretakers and cleaners
contractors and other tradespeople
service managers
caregivers and other staff.
It also includes unpaid workers, such as volunteers and any members of the community who are regularly on site during a time when children and students may be present. Throughout this guidance we have used the term staff member to refer to paid staff members, unpaid workers, volunteers, contractors and other workers at your school or kura.
The vaccination requirements apply wherever in person schooling occurs, such as on the school or early learning service site, but also at school camps, swimming pools, museums, or where other education outside the classroom (EOTC) programmes take place. This means that both school staff and volunteers who are involved in EOTC should have had a first vaccination by 15 November and be fully vaccinated by 1 January 2022. (This includes coaches, drivers, managers of sports teams)
The vaccination requirements do not apply to those who are performing services remotely, or who are onsite only when children and students are not present (such as a contractor who is performing maintenance during the weekend or over a term break). The requirements also do not apply to people who are visiting your school or kura, such as for a learning conference or a parent, whānau and community evening.
Medical exemptions for vaccinations
The Covid-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Order 2021 has been amended to clarify the requirements relating to medical exemptions.
All medical exemptions for the education sector need to be approved by the Director-General of Health.
The revised Order is available here.
How the medical exemption process will work
An exemption can only be applied for by a medical doctor or nurse practitioner.
The doctor or nurse practitioner needs to assess if the employee meets clinical criteria that have been specified for an exemption by the Director-General of Health.
If the doctor or nurse practitioner considers that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the employee meets the specified criteria for a medical exemption, they can complete a request for an exemption on behalf of the employee and submit this to the Ministry of Health for consideration.
The Ministry of Health will consider exemption requests that are submitted in accordance with these requirements and the Director General of Health will decide:
if an exemption is to be granted; and
the duration of the exemption.
The Ministry of Health must notify the doctor or nurse practitioner and the individual in writing of the decision.
Exemptions may be issued for a maximum of six months, and if the exempted employee believes a further exemption is required at the end of that period, their doctor or nurse practitioner will need to apply for a new exemption.
See more information on the exemption process is available from the Ministry of Health.
Schools are also required from the Ministry of Education to keep an up to date register of students and their their vaccination status. The following Privacy requirements also apply to volunteers.
Below are the conditions around Privacy that apply to Privacy Statement: Vaccination Register (Eligible Students)
Purpose
The purpose of this privacy statement is to inform you about how we will collect, store, use and share your personal information for the purposes of our Eligible Student Vaccination Register.
Why are we collecting your personal information?
The Ministry of Education has stated secondary schools are required to maintain an up-to-date register with the vaccine status of all eligible students.
How we will use your personal information?
Your vaccination status information will enable us to know the vaccination status of all eligible students to ensure we are complying with the Order, and in the case of an outbreak, respond accordingly.
What personal information will be collected?
We will be collecting the following personal information:
- Full Name
- National Student Number (NSN)
- Date of Birth
- Year Level
- Contact details (email, phone)
- Caregiver Contact details (name, phone number)
- Vaccination status
* Partially vaccinated (Date of Dose 1)
* Fully vaccinated (Date of Dose 2)
* Exempt (Date of Exemption)
* No Information Provided (Date of No Information Provided)
* Vaccination Status Unknown
Where no information is provided your record in the Vaccine Register will note that no information has been provided.
How will we collect your personal information?
We will collect your personal information directly from you (or your parent/caregiver where appropriate).
How will we keep your personal information safe?
It is important that we keep your vaccination information safe and secure. We maintain a secure environment for the protection of all personal information we hold and use appropriate security safeguards to protect information from loss, unauthorised access, use, or disclosure.
Only authorised staff will have access to the Vaccination Register, and access to the information in the Vaccination Register will only be for authorised purposes.
Sharing of your personal information
We will not share your personal information unless we are required or authorised to do so by law.
In the situation of an outbreak, we may share your personal information with a Public Health Authority for the purposes of planning and implementing appropriate public health responses. Where possible we will only disclose aggregate level information.
We may disclose aggregate level information to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education to assist those agencies monitor and plan covid 19 responses. You will not be identified in any disclosure of information to these agencies.
How long will we keep your personal information?
We will not keep your information for longer than is required for the purposes stated above.
Your rights under the Privacy Act 2020
Under the Privacy Act, you have the right to request a copy of, and correction to, any personal information held by us. You can do this by emailing principal@wairoacollege.school.nz or calling 06 838 8689.
Ngā mihi nui
Mrs Jo-Anne Vennell
