While California already mandates COVID-19 vaccination for schools, a newly-proposed state law would take that requirement a step further.
It's the second bill of this nature under consideration in Sacramento.
Under current regulations, parents are allowed to keep their kids from getting the COVID-19 vaccine under an exemption – not for medical reasons, but for personal reasons. State Sen. Richard Pan's new bill, titled the Keep Schools Open and Safe Act, aims to change that option so students' personal beliefs no longer qualify for an exemption.
"I know that families are struggling, school districts are struggling," Pan told KCBS Radio's Patti Reising and Jeff Bell late Monday. "They want certainty that their schools can stay open. The parents want to be sure the kids can go to school...and they want them to be safe. They want to be sure they're not going to come home (and) bring a disease with them. We know that vaccinations are really important in helping make that happen."
If passed and subsequently approved by Gov. Gavin Newsom, K-12 students would have to be vaccinated against COVID-19 starting next January in order to attend school. If a student's parents opt not to have their child vaccinated, independent study or home schooling would remain options for that student to continue their education, Pan explained.
"We want to ensure that every child gets an education, no matter what their parents decide to do about vaccinations," he said.
The bill's passage could make it easier for the state's Department of Public Health to add requirements for boosters or other vaccines for students.
Only those with a medical condition would qualify for an exemption.
State Sen. Scott Wiener has also proposed Senate Bill 866, which would enable kids as young as 12 to get the COVID-19 vaccine without their parents' permission. "This is about ensuring that teenagers are able to protect their own health even if they have parents who refuse to let them get vaccinated or parents who don't have the time to take them to get vaccinated," Wiener told KCBS Radio's Dan Mitchinson last Saturday.
California Republicans have come down hard on the proposals.
"Now it is clear. The government doesn't want your family to have a choice. Government is in control. Either get vaccinated or get kicked out of school," said Assemblyman James Gallagher, who went on to call the bills "wrong and an unconscionable overreach" in a press release on Monday.
"It is unfortunate that there's so much misinformation about vaccines and the diseases they prevent," Pan added, reacting to criticism of the legislation.
Any mandate for schools would only go into effect after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gives full approval to the vaccine for kids, which could happen as soon as this summer.
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