Head Start educator says she went 'through hell' fighting to keep job due to state, federal vax mandates

Head Start staff in about half of U.S. must get COVID jab, even as CDC guidelines no longer differentiate between vaccinated and unvaccinated people.

Last October, she was initially granted a religious exemption by her program, but was told she would need to be reassigned from her job. Werling said she pushed back against that decision before being allowed to keep her job, with an accommodation that barred her from coming into contact with "children, families and staff" – essentially exiling her from the classroom. Tyler Olson covers politics for Fox News Digital. You can contact him at tyler.olson@fox.com and follow him on Twitter at @TylerOlson1791.

However, even now with Washington's regulations lifted, Werling says she is forced to get tested for COVID-19 once per week and must wear a mask when in the classroom, due to Head Start's rules for religious exemptions. The testing requirement is consistent with guidelines laid out in the HHS interim final rule for religious exemptions.