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California to Require COVID Vaccine for All Students
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday that all California students and school staff will be required to get vaccinated against Covid-19 once vaccines are fully approved by the FDA. PHI’s chief executive officer Mary Pittman praised the mandate but said it didn’t go far enough, noting that schools should “immediately implement vaccine mandates under the current FDA emergency use authorization.”
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Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday that all California students and school staff will be required to get vaccinated against Covid-19. The mandate, the nation’s first, applies to all students in kindergarten through 12th grade in public, charter and private schools, and all school employees. It goes into effect in the first semester, either Jan. 1 or July 1, following the Federal Drug Administration’s full approval of the Covid vaccine for each age group. Currently, the Pfizer vaccine is fully approved for people 16 and older, and the other vaccines have emergency approval for people 12 and over.
The requirement follows vaccine mandates in several large California school districts for students 12 and over, including Los Angeles Unified, San Diego Unified and Oakland Unified. Newsom encouraged other districts to enact their own mandates ahead of the state’s plan, Newsom said.
The Public Health Institute, an independent nonprofit that promotes global health initiatives, praised the mandate but said it didn’t go far enough. Districts shouldn’t wait for full FDA approval, said the organization’s chief executive officer, Mary Pittman.
California is leading the country in making bold, brave and science-based recommendations that prioritize health and recovery, but we need to act more quickly to protect our students and their families. Vaccines are safe, free and the best way to end this pandemic. (Schools) should … immediately implement vaccine mandates under the current FDA emergency use authorization.Mary A. Pittman, CEO and President, Public Health Institute
Click below to read the full story in EdSource. See the full PHI statement here.
Originally published by EdSource
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