SCUSD approves early COVID-19 vaccine mandate for students, staff

The Sacramento City Unified School District Board on Tuesday approved a requirement deadline for students and staff to receive the COVID-19 vaccine far in advance of a state-imposed one Gov. Gavin Newsom is hoping for in mid-2022.Following the school board’s vote made around 10 p.m., students ages 12 and older will need to show proof of at least one vaccine dose by the start of the second semester, while teachers will need to show proof by Nov. 30. If a student has not shown that proof before the first day of the second semester of classes or have not received an approved exemption, they will have to enroll in independent study or do homeschooling.Newsom earlier this month announced the nation’s first coronavirus vaccination mandate for schoolchildren, but with no firm deadline yet set. The state’s timeline is dependent on when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would fully approve the vaccine for those ages 12 and older. Currently, full use is only authorized for children 16 years and older, while emergency authorization was allowed for students 12 years and up.Once federal regulators fully approve it for that younger group, the state will require students in seventh through 12th grades to get vaccinated in both public and private schools. Newsom said he expects that requirement to be in place by July 1.California will also require vaccines for students in kindergarten through sixth grades after the vaccine receives full approval for children ages 5 to 11. Currently, there is no approved vaccine for this age group. Emergency approval for pediatric doses of the vaccine is expected within the next month, and there’s no timeline for full approval.Should a SCUSD student not provide proof of vaccination, or have an approved religious, medical, or personal exemption, they would not be allowed to attend school in person. They would instead be required to enroll in an independent study program or participate in home-schooling.Six board members voted in favor while one member — Board President Christina Pritchett — abstained from voting.Teachers and staff will also be Heading into the meeting, about 77% of teaching staff were vaccinated, according to the school district.—The Associated Press contributed to this reporting.

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