BURLINGAME – Amid the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, the start of school, and a growing discussion surrounding vaccines, California Teachers Association President E. Toby Boyd issued the following statement:

“From the beginning, CTA has strongly supported vaccines, along with multiple layers of safety protections – including masks, testing and physical distancing – as our primary and most important defense against COVID. We believe every educator, school staff and student who is eligible should get vaccinated. Vaccinations are key to combating this virus and keeping our schools open safely for in-person instruction. Nearly 90 percent of CTA members have reported getting the vaccination. We know a growing number of educators and local unions are working with their school districts to develop robust testing and vaccine verification policies. We continue to support those local decisions. As we battle the highly contagious Delta variant and breakthrough infections happening in California, all of these safety measures are key to combating this virus and keeping our schools open safely for in-person instruction.”

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The 310,000-member California Teachers Association is affiliated with the 3 million-member National Education Association.