Contributed Photo Lenihan Intermediate School vocal music teacher Sara McCue receives a COVID-19 vaccination.

Major public school systems throughout the U.S. are beginning to require staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19, with some planning to resist the mandate.

Some Iowa businesses have required employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, but so far none of Iowa’s public schools have done so.

“We have not chosen to require our employees to be vaccinated at this point in time,” Marshalltown Community School District Superintendent Theron Schutte said. “We were very pleased at the voluntary response we had from our employees when we offered onsite vaccination clinics and we believe that approximately 85 to 90 percent of our employees are vaccinated.”

The district plans to offer additional onsite vaccination clinics for students once more students become eligible. Children age 11 and younger are not eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine.

The district also plans to offer onsite clinics if booster shots are approved and deemed necessary or helpful for employees and students.

Iowa’s three regent universities – University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa – so far are also not requiring the COVID-19 vaccine. Grinnell College is the only Iowa college with a vaccine mandate.

Iowa Valley Community College District Chancellor Kristie Fisher said at the last regular IVCCD Board of Directors meeting in August that the district will recommend the COVID-19 vaccination, but will not require it.

Fisher said IVCCD will work closely with local departments of health to provide vaccination clinics for students and employees, while also looking into possible vaccine incentives.

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Contact Trevor Babcock at 641-753-6611 or tbabcock@timesrepublican.com.