Bend-La Pine Schools fired three teachers Tuesday for violating a state requirement to submit either proof of receiving a COVID-19 vaccination or a valid exemption.
By Oct. 18, 2021, the Oregon Department of Education required that all public schools employees submit proof of vaccination, or apply for a religious or medical exemption.
The Bend-La Pine district placed the three teachers on unpaid administrative leave last year after they declined to meet the requirement.
The Bend-La Pine Schools main office in downtown Bend.
Bradley W. Parks / OPB
The teachers — Mark Schulz, Zack Webb and Kelly Lundy — all presented their case to the school board in a public hearing Tuesday night, in front of a packed audience consisting largely of those supporting teachers.
One adult in the audience carried a sign that read, “Justice for Mr. Schulz.”
The teachers made arguments that the mandate violated their rights.
“I felt there wasn’t enough time or effort put into researching that vaccine in order for it to be safe,” Schulz told the board.
Schulz also said he wanted payment for the year’s worth of wages he lost during his unpaid leave.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has repeatedly stated that research shows the COVID-19 vaccine and its boosters are safe and effective.
The teachers said they chose not to get the vaccine, but also declined to sign a religious exemption, even while doing so would have allowed them to keep their job at the district. Webb said he felt others would take advantage of this exemption, even if they weren’t religious, and that he did not want to be part of it.
“If the convictions of those who serve God with their whole heart were going to be lumped in with insincere lies, then I didn’t want to play the game,” Webb said.
Chief Human Resources Officer Steven Herron said the firings were to maintain compliance with state law, not any specific feelings about the teachers themselves.
It’s unclear how many educators in Oregon retired early or have been fired as a result of the mandate. OPB submitted a request to the state education department for the total number.
The three teachers were not the first Central Oregon educators fired for flouting pandemic-related requirements. A teacher in Redmond refused to wear a mask in September 2021 and was subsequently fired.
A district spokesperson told OPB that 9% of Bend-La Pine employees have either a religious or medical exemption. Since the district’s first day of school on Sept. 7, 312 students and 84 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the district’s dashboard.
