Written by Vincent Cain
Some schools are adding another layer of restrictions, as at least 40 California districts are or soon will require vaccinations for staff, students, or both.
According to an investigation, these policies are stricter than the Governor’s plans to require the vaccination of k-12 staff and students before the next school year. Despite the national attention on San Diego Unified and Los Angeles Unified for their mandates, many have gone unnoticed by state and national media.
Public health officials do not track the vaccination requirements for schools. The California Department of Public Health “does not maintain official records about the actions of local school districts for which there is no formal requirement to report to the state,” the office of communications said in an email.
Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, a professor of pediatrics and epidemiology at Stanford University, said, “I am surprised that there is no central body that regulates school districts. This clearly isn’t good public health policy.” Data collected from 630 school districts shows that over one million students have already been affected by some kind of mandate, independent from the future statewide order.
The vaccination requirements are all over that place, and there is no universal agreement among the districts on who should be required to take it. These inconsistent requirements across districts are a result of local politics, minimal state guidance, and legal concerns.
“There is no way you can come up with an argument where a patchwork approach to anything is going to be helpful for public health,” Maldonado said. “Viruses don’t look at borders…You can have a massive outbreak triggered in a small district that can cross borders.”
A 16-year-old student and her family sued the San Diego school district, arguing that the mandate was discriminatory because it did not offer religious exemptions. Since the vaccine was tested on and developed with cell lines from abortions, the family asserts that getting the vaccine violates their faith. The district blocked all requests for exemptions, except medical. The state mandate allowed for both medical and religious exemptions.
Board president Richard Barrera said, “If you allow for a religious or personal belief exemption in the student vaccine mandate, you’ll simply have fewer students who are vaccinated.”
Photo Cred: Damian Dovarganes, AP Photo
