Teachers and support staff in the Jacksonville/North Pulaski School District will receive $300 each for their proof that they are fully vaccinated against the covid-19 virus.
The district's School Board voted in favor of the vaccination incentive Monday at a meeting in which it decided against a legal challenge to Act 1002 of 2021 that prohibits public schools from mandating students and staff to wear face masks to prevent the spread of covid-19.
Superintendent Jeremy Owoh said the $300 vaccination incentive for the district's 600 employees will cost the system as much as $180,000. The money will come from federal covid-19 relief funding allocated to the district, he said. The district is to receive almost $19 million in the special funding.
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The 3,000-student district is one of a number of districts in the state offering a financial incentive for the shots. The Little Rock School District has similarly offered $300 to its staff, for example. The White Hall School District is offering a $200 incentive to employees and a day off from school for students ages 12 and up who become fully vaccinated against the contagious and what can be a life threatening virus.
Scott Richardson, the district's attorney, queried the board about interest in joining one or more possible lawsuits challenging Act 1002. He pointed out that as its stands, the district cannot legally require mask wearing by those working with and around medically fragile students.
Board member Jim Moore, the father of an adult son who is a registered nurse, said he would support joining a lawsuit as a way to protect students and staff. Board member Ava Coleman, an employee at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, said the district needs to do all it can to protect students -- particularly those under 12 who are ineligible for vaccines.
Board President Daniel Gray, however, said a lawsuit is likely to go forward with or without the district's participation.
"I don't think joining the lawsuit is the best use of our resources," Gray said.
He also said that the situation is fluid and that if necessary the board is flexible and could reconvene to take a different position.
Little Rock Superintendent Mike Poore is asking the Little Rock School Board to vote Wednesday night to approve the filing of an already drafted lawsuit challenging the Act 1002 for constitutional violations.
Tom Mars, a Northwest Arkansas attorney, has also said he is preparing a lawsuit on behalf of parents against the mask mandate ban.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson has said he is calling a special session of the Arkansas General Assembly to consider amending Act 1002 to give school boards the flexibility to decide whether to institute a mask mandate on their campuses.
Owoh said the district is hosting a public forum Thursday featuring medical personnel who can answer questions from the public on vaccines and mask-wearing and a vaccination clinic on the morning of Aug. 10 at Jacksonville High for students, staff and community members.