All state Department of Education employees will be required to be tested weekly for COVID-19 beginning Aug. 23, the department announced today.

But if proof of full vaccination can be provided, the employee will not be subject to the weekly testing requirement.

The requirement, which applies to all DOE employees, including salaried and casuals/substitutes, as well as volunteers, is designed to comply with Gov. David Ige’s Aug. 5 emergency proclamation requiring either vaccination or testing for all state and county employees.

“COVID-19 vaccines are the leading public health prevention strategy to stop the pandemic. As Hawaii’s largest state agency, the Department of Education plays a critical role in advancing the state’s vaccination rate in the fight against COVID,” interim Superintendent Keith Hayashi said in a news release. “Encouraging vaccinations and implementing this weekly testing requirement in addition to our core essential strategies will help protect our ability to provide safe, in-person learning for our students.”

The governor’s emergency proclamation requires all state and county employees to provide proof whether they are fully vaccinated for COVID-19, partially vaccinated or not vaccinated.

According to the department, employees who opt not to become vaccinated will be required to be tested weekly for COVID-19 at the employee’s expense and during non-work hours.

Beginning Aug. 15, employees can access the department’s electronic human resource system (eHR) to attest to their vaccination status, upload documentation or provide weekly COVID-19 test results.

All employees were notified today by a memorandum of the requirements and other details.

DOE staff were given priority for COVID-19 vaccines as essential workers in January, and in May after a vaccine was authorized for adolescents 12 and older, the department began holding vaccination clinics on campuses.

Hayashi told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s Spotlight Hawaii this morning that the department is still working to determine what the vaccination rate is of its employees.