California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced that the Covid-19 vaccine will be required for the state’s schoolchildren, the first such mandate in the nation.
“CA will require our kids to get the COVID-19 vaccine to come to school. This will go into effect following full FDA approval. Our schools already require vaccines for measles, mumps and more. Why? Because vaccines work. This is about keeping our kids safe & healthy,” the governor wrote in a tweet.
The federal government has fully approved the Covid vaccine for those 16 and over, but only granted an emergency authorization for anyone 12 to 15. Once federal regulators fully approve the vaccine for that group, the state will require students in seventh through 12th grades to get vaccinated in both public and private schools, Newsom’s office said.
The state will require the Covid vaccine for students in kindergarten through sixth grade only after the federal government has given final approval for anyone 5 to 11.
The Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools, Debra Duardo, said she supported the governor’s vaccine mandate: “Our students deserve stability, access to school-based resources, services, and support.”
“We are mindful that there is still work to do to build trust and confidence in the vaccine among our school communities,” Duardo said in a statement.
Duardo said the Los Angeles County Office of Education “will convene a working taskforce of superintendents to support the implementation of this requirement in schools throughout LA County.”
The California Teachers Association also voiced support for the mandate.
“Teaching and learning are most effective in person, and the COVID-19 vaccine is a proven measure to prevent life threatening illness, keeping schools safe and open for in-person instruction, and will get us closer to being able to put this devastating pandemic behind us,” CTA President E. Toby Boyd said in a statement
Boyd said that ninety percent of CTA members are vaccinated, “and an overwhelming majority supports a vaccine mandate for students and staff.”
The announcement comes as infections in most of California have dropped markedly in the last month. But Newsom has been emboldened after easily defeating a recall effort last month following a campaign where he emphasized his commitment to vaccine mandates to end the pandemic.
The Associated Press contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
