‘Disciplinary action’: Queensland Education gives suspended teachers 14 days to get Covid jab

More than 1000 suspended Education Queensland staff have been issued a 10-page letter threatening disciplinary action if they don’t get vaccinated in the next two weeks.

More than 1000 suspended school staff have received a terse 10-page letter today threatening them with “disciplinary findings” if they did not get Covid vaccinations within the next 14 days.

Education Department Early Learning and Development executive director David Miller wrote to the suspended staff asking them to provide reasons for not being vaccinated.

The letter said that without adequate reasons for not getting the vaccine, staff would face a “disciplinary process” which was not detailed.

The letter from the Education Department to suspended teachers giving them 14 days to get vaccinated.

Staff who received the letter were alleged to have breached a government health directive with 17 points of evidence listed including that the role of a teacher required working in a “high risk” setting.

“I am providing you with a period of 14 calendar days from the date of this letter to show cause why disciplinary findings should not be made against you,” Mr Miller wrote.

“If you do not respond, or your response is received later than the required timeframe, I will make a decision on the material currently available to me.”

A Toowoomba high school teacher, who did not want to be named, said the letter would not deter suspended teachers from responding and giving their side of the story.

“It was in legal jargon and at no time in the 10 pages did it spell out what the disciplinary action would be,” he said.

“This is another punitive letter that is trying to coerce me into getting the Covid vaccination.

“I have not had the vaccine as I am still waiting for the Education Department to show me the long-term safety data and associated risk assessment.”

Seventy police and health workers are challenging the mandates in a civil Supreme Court trial, which included the Human Rights Commission and Attorney-General but teachers are yet to launch their own case.

Queensland Education said as of June 8, 573 state school teachers and 674 non-teaching staff in state schools were currently suspended for failing to comply with the health direction.

“The department has consistently advised each of these staff that if they continue to fail to comply with the direction, that they may face disciplinary action.”

This month, the Northern Territory and Western Australian government announced their mandatory vaccination directions for most workers would end on Wednesday, June 15.

New South Wales and the ACT dropped their mandates for teachers in May and SA axed their vaccine rule in March.

More than 1000 school staff are believed to have been suspended without pay across the state since January for not being vaccinated against Covid, triggering fears of a classroom ‘ramping’ crisis and teacher shortage.