San Diego School District Announces Vaccine Mandate For Students

Fox News reported that staffers and students alike over the age of 16 in San Diego will need to get vaccinated by December 20 so that the second dose can take full effect before the end of winter break. Students who do not get vaccinated by this date will need to do independent study, and they will also be banned from participating in sports as well as in other after-school activities.

While medical exemptions will be allowed, personal and religious ones will not be permitted.

“It could not be more clear that this is the right move for us to take tonight,” said Board President Richard Barrera.

Public comments were heard by the board virtually prior to the vote.

“Your intentions may be good, but like the old saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions,” elementary school teacher Brenda Taylor told the board, saying that she was speaking for all unvaccinated staffers. “This flawed proposal that you’re hiding behind the word of science as if it’s absolute. We know that science is not perfect.”

Another public speaker Kevin Stevenson slammed those who are against the vaccine, saying that they are drawing an “arbitrary line” between the COVID-19 vaccine and others that are required for students, such as chickenpox and measles, mumps, and rubella.

“It doesn’t make any sense to me,” he said. “It’s crazy. I mean, COVID continues to threaten our kids, our teachers. We really do need to get this under control.”

Anti-vaccine protesters staged a protest outside of the district’s office on Tuesday to fight this. Let Them Choose, an initiative that is against mask mandates in schools and was launched by the group Let Them Breathe has already announced plans to sue the district over the mandate.

“We’ve seen them before not honor parents’ voices and we hope they do. If they don’t, we’re ready to take legal action against a mandate if it’s passed,” founder Sharon McKeeman told FOX 5 before the vote took place.

It’s bad enough when adults are forced to get vaccinated in order to keep their jobs, but mandating that children get the vaccine is completely over the line. Children have an extremely low chance of having complications due to COVID-19, and we have no idea how the coronavirus vaccine will impact them later down the road in life.

Vaccine mandates like the one this San Diego school board put in place should be illegal, so we hope members of the community fight it at every turn.