California could require children who are at least 12 years old to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to attend school.
Dr. Mark Ghaly, California Health and Human Services Secretary, told reporters in a Thursday morning briefing that the state has begun exploring the possibility, though a decision isn't necessarily close.
"That conversation is happening – certainly as part of what we're considering as a state – but no definitive action or decision is being made at the moment," Dr. Ghaly said.
The Los Angeles Unified School District, the state's largest public school system, is requiring all students who are older than 12 to be fully vaccinated by Jan. 10. It became the first school district in the state to do so earlier this month, with Culver City Unified, Oakland Unified and then Piedmont Unified following suit. Oakland and Piedmont public schools are the only ones in the Bay Area with a mandate so far.
Just over half (54%) of 12-17-year-olds in the state were fully vaccinated as of Thursday, according to state data. Another 8.7% have received one dose, while 37.3% were unvaccinated.
Last month, the state required all school staff to provide proof of full vaccination or submit to testing at least once a week due to the delta variant.
"To date, protecting young kids from COVID has been led by getting the adults around these young Californians to be vaccinated," Dr. Ghaly said. "Soon, we hope, I hope, as a father of three kids under the age of 12 and a pediatrician, that we can soon vaccinate many of our students and wrap a thicker blanket of protection around these school communities."
California Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled the state's "COVID-19 Vaccine Action Plan" on Thursday, laying out a roadmap for how it would distribute booster shots to eligible residents as well as first doses for children younger than 12. The latter group is expected to receive a U.S. Food and Drug Administration emergency authorization to receive the Pfizer vaccine sometime next month.
As part of the state's plan, the California Department of Public Health will provide $10 million to schools, "including mobile or pop-up clinics, staffing or equipment requests for school-located vaccination clinics." School-based health clinics can also apply for the state's vaccine grant, which is worth up to $55,000.
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