Niskayuna parents petition board to change vaccine policy for athletes

An update to the vaccination requirement for student athletes in the Niskayuna School District.

For spring sports, students who are not vaccinated against coronavirus will be able to play.

However, unvaccinated students will need to be tested once a week.

Tuesday’s school board meeting brought out dozens of parents and students.

They had a petition calling to drop the vaccine mandate.

About 1,300 people signed it.

Some people were thankful about the drop in vaccine requirement.

Some were calling for an end to the mask mandate.

Learn about why, by watching the video of Jonathan Hunter’s story – which aired shortly before the meeting.

Interim Superintendent Dr. Juliette Pennyman sent NewsChannel 13 this statement:

"Some close contact and indoor sports can put players, coaches and community members at increased risk for getting and spreading COVID-19. CDC Guidance for COVID-19 prevention in K-12 schools has recommended that close contact sports in areas of high community transmission should be canceled unless all participants are fully vaccinated. Schenectady County is in high transmission. An element of the district’s Layered Mitigation Plan to prevent community spread and keep our schools fully open and students learning currently requires students participating in close contact sports like lacrosse to be fully vaccinated. The vast majority of student athletes in close contact sports have now met that requirement. The district is continuously reviewing our mitigation protocols and we will make any necessary adjustments while keeping our schools and community safe and healthy."