Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

School District will pay unvaccinated employees for time getting COVID tests

Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing

John Locher/AP

Health care workers test patients in their cars at a drive-thru coronavirus testing site run by the UNLV School of Medicine and the Nevada National Guard, Friday, July 10, 2020, in Las Vegas.

Clark County School District employees who remain unvaccinated against COVID-19 will be paid for the time they spend getting district-mandated weekly tests for the disease.

The district and the Education Support Employees Association, which represents staff such as classroom aides and clerical and food service workers, have reached an agreement that considers employees on the clock when they’re traveling to or at a testing center, the district announced today.

“Weekly testing requirement is now a work duty and will be paid as part of the Work Day,” CCSD said in a summary of the agreement.

The district estimated that test-related compensation agreement could cost $391,000.

Compensation will be at the overtime rate if applicable, and the agreement is retroactive to the district’s Aug. 4 cutoff for the shot-or-test rule.

Prior to a School Board decision earlier this month requiring all staff to eventually be vaccinated against COVID, the district ordered that unvaccinated employees undergo weekly testing as an alternative to inoculation.