The NYC vaccine mandate for the Department of Education teachers and staff does NOT apply to bus drivers, at this time.

Gotham Government Relations Update
Nicole Epstein, Esq., Senior Associate

According to Mayor Bill de Blasio, who spoke about the mandate in a press conference on Staten Island on Monday, the City’s new mandate will impact about 1480,000 DOE employees, including teachers, principals, kitchen workers, and custodians. According to a department spokesperson, the policy does not apply to DOE contracted employees like bus drivers and educators and staff working in 3-ks and preschools not located in DOE buildings. Employees at 3k and preschools not located in DOE buildings are still subject to the mayor’s vaccination or test policy.

Kevin Moran, Chief School Operations Officer at the New York City Department of Education, clarified that today’s City Hall announcement was specific to all NYCDOE staff and NYCDOE contractors working in school-based settings. At the current moment, this DOES NOT include school bus drivers, aides, etc. However, there is currently an ACTIVE conversation about including bus drivers in the future, especially for the Type A and Type B buses serving special education schools that tend to have longer routes and more difficulty having the children wear masks, etc.

In sum, as of today, there is no mandate for school bus drivers. However, this might change in the near future.

NYTimes Article