Message About Governor’s Vaccine Announcement
Dear Community Members,
Governor Gavin Newsom announced a plan to add the COVID-19 vaccination to the list of California’s required school vaccinations. We know that has left many families, school employees, and community members with questions, and it’s important to clarify several points.
The anticipated date for the requirement taking effect for grades 7-12 is July 1, 2022, followed by grades K-6 at a later date. School staff vaccination requirements would follow the grades 7-12 timeline. The requirement would apply to all schools — public and private. But several milestones need to be reached before it would take effect, especially for students.
First, full FDA approval for the COVID-19 vaccine is required for the respective age groups.
Then, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) would closely consider recommendations from authoritative health policy experts including The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the United States, the Department of Health and Human Services, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Family Physicians.
If CPDH moves forward, a rulemaking process would follow along with opportunities for public input.
If and when the requirement does take effect, a student who is not vaccinated can enroll in independent study but would not be able to attend in-person instruction. Exemptions could be granted for medical and personal belief reasons barring any legislative changes.
We anticipate students ages 5-11 will soon be able to receive vaccination under an emergency-use authorization (EUA) from the FDA as early as the first week in November.
We have many questions that have simply not been answered. We will continue to work with our local public health department, the CDPH, and CalOSHA to gather information and have our questions answered. Until then, there are no changes anticipated with California’s current vaccination requirements which can be found here: https://www.shotsforschool.org.
For more information on the vaccination requirement, visit: https://www.gov.ca.gov/…/California-Becomes-First-State…
