Oakland Unified School District may soon become the first district in Northern California to require their students to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
A school board vote is expected to be held Wednesday evening to decide whether vaccinations will be made mandatory for the 49,000 students served by the district.
If passed, children 12 years old and up will be asked to receive the vaccine to attend in-person classes or provide medical exemption to the district.
Even though the goal of the resolution is 100% vaccination, Sam Davis, vice president of the Oakland school board and creator of the proposal, said it is not meant to be punitive. "We want to make sure that it’s something that encourages families to go out and get the information they need to get vaccinated," he said in a Twitter post explaining that many people are on the fence and just need that extra push.
What is decided in Oakland this evening could be a glimpse into the future of Bay Area school districts as the importance of in-person instruction is balanced with the priority of student and faculty health.
West Contra Costa Unified and Berkeley Unified have also begun deliberating over the possibility of a student mandate.
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