High school teacher of the year faces termination over vaccine mandate

A Connecticut high school teacher of the year is facing termination for refusing to get vaccinated or comply with weekly COVID-19 testing.

"It is unfortunate after 15 plus years of dedicating myself to the profession and the students and the families of the town that I work in that we're here," Kahseim Outlaw, a gym teacher at Lyman Hall High School, told Fox News.

Outlaw said he's on unpaid leave for refusing to comply with Connecticut's mandate to either get vaccinated or receive weekly testing. Outlaw learned Wednesday that the superintendent won't grant him an extended leave of absence, meaning he could lose his job.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced the mandate in August and said: "Getting vaccinated keeps yourself safe, keeps your community safe, and will help beat back the ongoing spread of this virus."

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Outlaw told Fox News: "I'm not against anyone's medical decisions whatsoever, whether it relates to this particular situation or anything else."

"In terms of my personal lifestyle, I'm an advocate of holistic health," he continued. "I've been a plant-based vegan for the last seven years. So my fuel, I kind of pay a lot of attention to what I put in my body and how I nurture myself."

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Outlaw told Fox News he'd miss the relationships he's built with his students.

"It's unfortunate that I can't offer them the love and commitment and the wisdom that I try to bestow on them often," he said.

Wallingford Public Schools, where Outlaw teaches, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.