Parents filed suit against California’s two largest school districts over policies mandating their students receive vaccinations against COVID-19 to attend classes.
The parents suing alleged the vaccine’s effects have not been adequately studied, and claimed unvaccinated children barred from school will be denied equal protection under the law.
Both Los Angeles and San Diego Unified school districts require all students aged 16 or older be fully vaccinated by the start of the spring 2022 semester. Students who fail to meet that deadline must enroll in independent study to remain enrolled in the school system.
Both districts offer exemptions to accommodate special medical circumstances, but not for personal or religious beliefs.
San Diego School Board President Richard Barrera told The Los Angeles Times the district declined to extend exemptions for religious reasons citing a risk of anti-vaccine parents abusing the loophole.
“Many parents want to see long-term studies of this new vaccine before they would consider getting their child vaccinated,” said Sharon McKeeman, a parent and anti-mandate activist who is party to the San Diego suit.
“Every student has a right to an in-person education under California law,” she added, calling mandates “unscientific and unlawful.”
The complaints, filed by the same San Diego law firm, are nearly identical in language and contended that city school districts did not have the proper authority to mandate vaccination. Instead, plaintiffs argue only the California state legislature and health department can do so.
State officials have supported school district mandates, however.
“I commend leaders across the state for leaning in on getting more young people vaccinated and connecting a requirement to attend in-person education,” California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly told the L.A. board of education on Tuesday.
Mandates for L.A. and San Diego Unified precede a future order by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who announced earlier this month Sacramento had begun exploring options for mandating vaccines for all California public school students.
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