California the first state to require COVID vaccines for kids 12 and up

Two students in East Los Angeles get vaccinated with the Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine at the Esteban E. Torres High School in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

In another aggressive effort to stop the spread of COVID-19 and ensure schools remain open, Gov. Gavin Newsom today announced a vaccine mandate for students ages 12 and older, making California the first state in the nation to require students to be fully vaccinated for in-person instruction.

The mandate would add the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of required immunizations, which includes mumps, measles and rubella.

Newsom issued this order in the aftermath of similar mandates from the state’s largest districts, Los Angeles Unified and San Diego Unified.

“We intend to do that once the FDA has fully approved the vaccine which will give us time to work with districts, give us time to work with parents and educators to build more trust and confidence,” Newsom said.

Parents still have some time to get their students vaccinated. The state mandate will go into effect only once the federal Food and Drug Administration fully approves vaccines for those 12 and older. Upon FDA approval, students will have until the start of the following academic term, either January 1st or July 1st, to be fully vaccinated.

This mandate, however, doesn’t just put the responsibility on students. All public school employees will be required to be vaccinated as soon as the mandate takes effect for students. Until now, teachers and staff were either required to be vaccinated or undergo regular testing for COVID-19; negative tests will no longer suffice.

The state expects that based on current FDA timelines, students grades 7-12 will be required to be vaccinated by July 1, 2022.

Students who are currently too young to get the vaccine will be required to receive their doses as soon as they reach the required age, but they’ll be given a “reasonable period of time to receive both doses.”

The California Department of Public Health will develop the rules for personal and religious exemptions following a public comment period. Details for that process have not yet been released.

The mandate comes in the aftermath of Newsom’s overwhelming victory in September’s recall election, during which the governor leaned into mask and vaccine mandates.

A survey released this week by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that most families nationwide are willing to vaccinate their children. 

California students who do not get fully vaccinated will be required to enroll in independent study, the only alternative to in-person instruction being offered this year.

One thought on “California the first state to require COVID vaccines for kids 12 and up

  1. Currently Piedmont is the only school in the United States that has refused to accept a personal belief exemption for the Covid vaccine that they require be taken by students for whom it has been approved by November. The PUSD School Board seems to be ignorant of the fact that that would require legislation at the state level to take that right away. I guess that us why no other school in the country has done that. That logic might apply to the 10 traditional and known vaccines, but not for this one. DO your homework PUSD!

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