The Kamloops-Thompson School District has set up a committee to decide whether or not to impose a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for staff.

Board Chair Rhonda Kershaw says the committee will be going through guidelines that were released by the provincial government on Friday.

“[They’ll be looking] to start to dialogue with our staff what the implications might be looking to gather information before we make a final decision on that,” she said on NL Newsday. “We are in the due diligence process right now for that.”

“That likely won’t be a very public discussion. It is a labour relations matter at this point and so while it won’t be happening in public, we’re certainly taking those steps in the appropriate manner.”

Kershaw says the committee members will be chosen by SD73 Superintendent Rhonda Nixon, adding it will include both district staff and school trustees.

“The superintendent will be working out the logistics of that committee but all of our employee groups would of course be very heavily involved in that as it would very directly affect them and the operations of schools,” Kershaw added.

Last week, Nixon told NL News that SD73 “would have been more comfortable” if the province had made a decision one way or another instead of leaving it to school districts.

“Educators are not health experts. I’m certainly not and the board is not but I would concur with you that is it more comfortable for us to take the lead from health experts? It is, and we always have,” Nixon said. “It is not that I think we wish to be told what to do but rather that there’s a very strong coordinated clear direction provided.”

In a statement, the province said the five-step process outlined in the guidelines builds on the existing K-12 health and safety measures including daily health checks, hand washing, staying home when sick, masks for all students and staff, as well as improved ventilation systems.

“If boards and authorities choose not to follow the steps in this document, they should be aware there may be legal or financial implications,” the nine-page document read.

The SD73 committee will focus on the first of those two steps – gathering data and evidence to assess the number of staff who may be unvaccinated as well as making sure that any potential policy is in line with legal advice and public health guidance and orders.

The other three steps are community engagement, a final decision on a mandate, and then an plan to implement the mandate, if one is brought in.

“While I see the necessity of this committee, I am extremely frustrated that this decision has been downloaded to school boards, in that we are not public health officials. We do not have the data. The data is very general and non-specific,” SD73 trustee Kathleen Karpuk said at Monday’s board meeting. “We’re being asked to consider legal questions that are complex.”

“As much as I’m grateful we have a lawyer on our board, I’m frustrated that we’re going to be asked to contemplate a decision of this magnitude that has such intertwining complexity that needs expert advice that we don’t necessarily have access to in a timely matter.”

The lawyer she was referring to is John O’Fee who told the board he did not see it as much of an issue.

“At the end of the day, the decision in terms of how to proceed will be a medical one as opposed to a legal one per se,” he said.

“It’s really [about] what the science tells us,” he said. “What do people, who are properly credentialed and trained, tell us is the best path forward for the health and wellness of our staff, students, their extended families and everybody else? I think if we make that the basis of our decision, we will make a sound decision.”

A recent survey by the BC Teachers Federation found that 94 per cent of its members are fully vaccinated with one per cent awaiting their second dose. Another two per cent said they were unvaccinated while two per cent did not answer the question.