Lawyer for Argyle School District: no teachers suspended over COVID protocols

NewsChannel 13 started investigating after we were told that staff members are not allowed in school, as they refuse to follow COVID vaccine and testing guidelines.

The initial information we got was that staff members were suspended in Argyle after refusing to get the COVID vaccine or get tested. Two district employees approached NewsChannel 13 and told us as many as nine people were not at work Friday for that reason.

NewsChannel 13 reached out to the district to confirm what the employees said. Argyle Central School District Superintendent Michael Healey did not answer our question directly, but did send a written statement that said in part:

"The district continues to follow all applicable guidelines and requirements issued by the state, as it has done since the beginning of the pandemic."

Healey added that 97% of teachers in the district got vaccinated.

A lawyer representing the school district then called us and said no one had been suspended for refusing to follow COVID protocols. We asked whether anyone was being investigated or absent from school because of the guidelines, and he said he couldn’t comment.

We also reached out to New York State United Teachers, and an official there said they would get back to us.

NewsChannel 13 is working to bring you more details and will have the very latest as we learn it. If you have more information, send us an email at 13investigates@WNYT.com.