- Several states have laws in place that keep schools from enacting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest guidance that recommends the COVID-19 vaccine be added to children’s immunization schedule.
- Some laws in place keep schools from discriminating against students and staff for COVID-19 vaccination status.
- “Regardless of what the CDC says, as long as I am governor, we will never force kids to get a COVID vaccine to go to school,” Republican Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt wrote in a Thursday tweet.
As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) voted to add the COVID-19 vaccine to children’s recommended list of vaccines for pediatricians, many states are rejecting the recommendation.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) unanimously decided on Thursday to add COVID-19 shots to children’s immunization schedule, which some schools and states use to create their vaccination requirements. Many states, however, have laws in place that prohibit schools from requiring the COVID-19 vaccine for students. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: FDA Advisor Blasts Agency For Rushing Through New Vaccines For Kids)
In Wyoming, the Wyoming Department of Health said it will not be adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the school vaccine schedule following the CDC recommendations, according to the Cowboy State Daily. Republican Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon’s office reinforced the decision, announcing that the state would not be listening to the guidance by the CDC.
“Wyoming has no plans to pursue adding COVID vaccine to its required (school) list,” Gordon’s spokesman Michael Pearlman told the Cowboy State Daily. “The governor has not mandated vaccines for adults or children, and believes that COVID-19 vaccination is a personal choice.”
Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced in a Thursday tweet that the state would not be taking the CDC’s guidance, citing the state’s laws against such a measure. In July 2022, an Iowa law went into effect exempting students in K-12 schools from vaccine requirements until 2029, the Des Moines Register reported.
Reynolds officer referred the Daily Caller News Foundation to the law when asked for comment.
“Regardless of what the CDC says, as long as I am governor, we will never force kids to get a COVID vaccine to go to school,” Republican Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt wrote in a Thursday tweet.
In Oklahoma, Stitt signed SB 658 into law in 2021 which prohibits schools from requiring a COVID-19 vaccine to attend the school.
Molly, a seven-year-old labrador therapy dog is stroked by Jake Gregory of Cornwall while Jake receives his Covid vaccination at a temporary NHS Covid vaccination centre on August 20, 2022 in Wadebridge, England. (Photo by Hugh Hastings/Getty Images)
In Montana, HB 702 prohibits discrimination based on one’s vaccination status and applies to all “educational opportunities,” the National Academy For State Health Policy (NAFSHP) stated. Indiana law prohibits public school districts from requiring students, employees and parents from showing proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
West Virginia law says any state entity cannot require proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter or utilize services, NAFSHP showed. South Carolina law prohibits school districts from requiring the COVID-19 vaccine for student attendance.
When asked for comment, the office of Republican South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster referred the DCNF to McMaster’s Friday tweet.
“There’s some confusion on the CDC COVID-19 vaccine recommendations,” McMaster wrote. “Let me clarify. As long as I am governor, I will never let the federal government – or anyone else – force the COVID-19 vaccine on South Carolina school children.”
Florida does not allow any educational institution to enact a COVID-19 mandate on its students and Georgia prohibits any school district from requiring the vaccine to receive an education, according to NAFSHP. In Mississippi, schools are prohibited from requiring students to get the COVID-19 vaccine in order to attend.
Arkansas prohibits vaccine passports “including as a condition for education,” and Arizona law keeps the COVID-19 vaccine from being required in order to attend the school, NAFSHP stated.
The CDC and the governors’ offices for Wyoming, Florida, Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia, Mississippi, West Virginia, Montana, Indiana and Oklahoma did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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