Centner Academy, a private school in Miami, Florida, faces backlash for appearing to threaten its staff against taking the COVID-19 vaccines by tying vaccination to employment in an email sent to parents on April 26, 2021.
The expensive Miami private academy has campuses in the Design District and Edgewater. Leila Centner, the co-founder of the academy, stated in the email, “It is our policy, to the extent possible, not to employ anyone who has taken the experimental COVID-19 injection until further information is known.”
Last week Centner told faculty and staff in a letter that she decided to adopt the new policy with a “very heavy heart.” She added that she was “compelled to take action.”
Staff that was already vaccinated are required to inform the school of their vaccinations and keep a distance from students. In addition, employees must disclose the information to the academy by completing a confidential form.
Dr. Aileen Marty, who is employed with Florida International University’s Wertheim College of Medicine as a physician and infectious disease specialist, read the email Centner sent to parents and found it “very sad. Parents might assume the statements are supported by science when there is no evidence that individuals who receive a COVID vaccine pose a risk of transmitting something from their bodies that would harm others.”
Meanwhile, the Florida heath department on Monday reported more than 3500 new cases of COVID-19. More than 760 of those new cases were in Miami-Dade, where the Centner Academy is located.
Written by Ebonee Stevenson
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
Miami Herald: Miami private school Centner Academy won’t employ vaccinated teachers, staff; by Colleen Wright and Daniel Chang
CBS News: Miami school says they won’t employ people who get COVID-19 vaccinations, citing vaccine misinformation; by Caitlin O’Kane
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of San Jose Public Library’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Nenad Stojkovic’s Flickr Page- Creative Commons License
