A number of people have lost their jobs on the Plateau for not receiving a COVID-19 vaccination amid a state mandate, mostly from The Rainier School in Buckley.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced last August that by Oct. 18, all state employees and healthcare workers must either be fully vaccinated or have obtained some sort of exemption or accommodation to the vaccine or lose their job.

According to the state Office of Financial Management, as of Oct. 25, more than 94 percent of state employees were in compliance with the mandate; about 91 percent of employees were verified to be fully vaccinated, while 3.2 percent received an accommodation. (This data did not include numbers from health care providers, K-12 schools, higher education employees, or any other employers that fall underneath the mandate.)

Roughly 2.9 percent — or 1,785 employees — left their jobs or were terminated, and the remaining 3.1 percent of employees were “pending action, which includes being in the process of being vaccinated, pending retirement, pending accommodation or separation,” OFM reported.

Another OFM update was expected Nov. 8, after print deadline.

According to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, as of Nov. 2, nearly 90 percent of the K-12 workforce is fully vaccinated, with another 0.5 percent of employees in the process of being vaccinated. Roughly 9.6 percent of employees obtained a religious exemption, and another 0.7 percent a medical exemption.

Only 473 employees, from classroom teachers to building staff and district/central office workers, did not receive a vaccine or obtain an exemption.

Here’s a quick look at how the numbers in Enumclaw, Buckley, and Black Diamond panned out.

THE RAINIER SCHOOL

The vast majority of people who lost their jobs in light of the vaccine mandate worked at The Rainier School.

Out of its roughly 750 employees, “40 Rainier School employees have separated from state service related to the vaccination mandate,” said Lisa Pemberton, media relations manager with the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, in an Oct. 21 email.

“In terms of how separations may affect services for residents, our facilities have been experiencing workforce challenges since prior to the pandemic, and each has plans in place to manage staffing issues related to the mandate,” Pemberton continued. “At Rainier, for example, staff are working overtime and employees are volunteering to work across job classes to ensure basic care levels for clients are maintained. So far, clients have been able to be successfully supported in place and no Rainier clients have had to transition to other setting as a result of staffing shortages.”

Pemberton did not answer how many Rainier School staff applied for and received a medical or religious exemption, but said that across DSHS, 93 percent of staff submitted full proof of vaccination, and about 3 percent got approved accommodations.

ENUMCLAW SCHOOL DISTRICT

Out of the Enumclaw School District’s 761 employees — all of who were impacted by the vaccine mandate — 622 workers, or about 81 percent of the workforce, submitted proof of full vaccination, according to the district.

Additionally, 139 employees (about 18 percent) sought some sort of exemption — 134 exemptions were religious, and five were medical; all were approved, meaning ESD’s exemption rate was roughly double that of the school districts statewide.

According to OSPI, only 13 percent of classroom staff obtained a religious exemption, while 30 percent of building staff and 37 percent of district/central office staff received one.

No employees that received an exemption had to change their positions to continue working in the district.

Only one employee failed to submit proof of vaccinated and failed to obtain an exemption.

“One employee received notice of non-disciplinary discharge as a result of the state mandate,” said district Public Information Officer Jessica McCartney. “Clear communication, preemptive planning and the ability to work closely with the employee prior to the deadline allowed the district to mitigate any impact to students or services.”

According to OSPI, the employee that was dismissed was a classroom staff member.

It is of interest to note that an OSPI spreadsheet, updated Nov. 3, showed 78 percent of ESD’s workforce having submitted proof of full vaccination, rather than the district’s reported 81 percent; broken down by type, 87 percent of classroom staff, 68 percent of school building staff, and 62 percent of district/central office staff submitted proof of full vaccination.

A similar discrepancy was found in another OSPI document, this time detailing how many employees received an exemption; OSPI reported 22 percent ESD’s overall workforce obtained some sort of exemption, as opposed to the district reporting 18 percent.

According to McCartney, the discrepancy is caused by the fact that ESD counted substitute teachers, while OSPI did not request that data.

WHITE RIVER SCHOOL DISTRICT

To the south, the White River School District reported that out of its 523 employees that fell under the mandate, 411 employees (78.5 percent) submitted proof of full vaccination, according to the district.

OSPI data shows that 84 percent of classroom staff, 71 percent of school building staff, and 68 percent of district/central office staff submitted proof of full vaccination.

Additionally, 108 employees (20.6 percent) also received some sort of exemption; “The overwhelming majority of these were religious,” Scott Harrison, the assistant superintendent, said in an email. Like ESD, this is double the religious exemption rate statewide.

According to OSPI, 14 percent of classroom staff, 23 percent of school building staff, and 30 percent of district/central office staff received a religious exemption.

Four employees did not submit full proof of vaccination, “and they are in leave status until they are ‘fully vaccinated’ which will be a period of less than two weeks,” Harrison continued. Leave status includes either using accrued paid time off or leave without pay.

ENUMCLAW FIRE DEPARTMENT

According to the state mandate, only firefighters that are licensed by the state as an EMT or paramedic needed to show proof of vaccination or obtain some sort of exemption. Administrative staff and volunteer firefighters that do not perform medical services are not covered by the mandate.

This means only 22 of the 24 Enumclaw fire department staff were affected by the mandate. Of those, 21 submitted full proof of vaccination, and one sought an exemption.

“We accepted the exemption, but were unable to accommodate the employee,” said Chief Randy Fehr. “We are a small fire department and do not have an administrative, or desk position available.”

Fehr added that the employee will be on unpaid leave until the end of January; if at that time they are still unvaccinated, they will be subject to dismissal.

BUCKLEY FIRE DEPARTMENT

The Buckley Fire Department reported that all 72 staff members, which is predominantly volunteer firefighters but also includes full-time staff, fell under the mandate. Of those, 51 employees (or 70.8 percent) submitted proof of full vaccination.

A total of 17 employees (23.6 percent) received an exemption, although it was not clear how many were religious exemptions or medical exemptions.

“Four members failed to submit anything, but they are all on approved leave of absence for various other reasons not related to the mandate,” said Chief Eric Skogen.

POLICE DEPARTMENTS

Unlike firefighters, who are often called upon to perform medical services, “Police officers are not included in the definition of ‘health care provider’ in the mandate because their performance of medical functions is merely incidental to their role in law enforcement,” reads a Frequently Asked Questions webpage on the governor’s website reads. “They may be otherwise included based on employment with a covered entity such as an institution of higher education or the Washington State Patrol.”

This means the Enumclaw, Buckley, and Black Diamond police departments did not fall under the mandate.

ST. ELIZABETH HOSPITAL

It’s unclear exactly how many employees at St. Elizabeth Hospital, run by Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, are vaccinated, and how many are exempt from the vaccine.

According to the healthcare system, “All employees currently working at St. Elizabeth and any Virginia Mason Franciscan Health facilitates are in compliance with the vaccine requirement, meaning they are fully vaccinated or have an approved exemption. Employees who declined to be vaccinated or receive an approved exemption were immediately placed on leave and are ineligible to work until they become compliant.”

Additionally, “The vast majority of employees received the vaccine. Exemptions were only granted based on criteria from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the CDC, and the FDA. Employees with approved exemptions will undergo regular testing for COVID-19.”

The healthcare system said it did not anticipate any “significant disruption” to hospital services due to the vaccine mandate; “The pandemic has exacerbated a staffing shortage that is impacting health care providers across the country. We are doing everything possible to address this challenge including working to move staff between our care sites, retraining staff in certain roles, and aggressively recruiting new team members to reduce the impact on services as much as possible.”