Bureau of Indian Education issues vaccine mandate

By FELICIA FONSECA
Associated Press

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — The federal agency that oversees schools that educate some Native Americans in nearly two dozen states has issued an employee vaccine mandate. The mandate, announced Thursday, covers faculty and staff at schools and dormitories operated directly by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Education. More than 180 schools operate under the agency’s umbrella. But about two-thirds are run by tribes under contract with the federal government or through grants, including most on the Navajo Nation. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland says employees must be vaccinated no later than Oct. 15 or they could face disciplinary action.