Stanislaus school district says it won’t enforce COVID vaccine mandate for students, staff
The Oakdale Joint Unified School District says it won’t enforce California’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for students and staff.
In a 4-1 vote last week, the school board passed a resolution saying it will petition state officials to downgrade the requirement to a recommendation.
“The governing board is aware that many parents have concerns about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine and believes that parental choice regarding health decisions is absolutely essential,” the document states.
Community members have packed Oakdale school board meetings throughout the fall to speak against the science behind masks and vaccines and question the toll of the coronavirus on children.
Research shows coronavirus vaccines are the most effective public health tool to protect people from the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccines and booster shots are all the more important as the omicron variant sparks another surge in cases, the CDC says.
In October, Gov. Gavin Newsom made California the first state to order students and staff at public and private schools be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Oakdale’s resolution places it among a handful of California school districts that plan to defy Newsom’s directive, potentially sacrificing state funding.
The mandate could take effect in July 2022. It includes exemptions for personal and religious beliefs, but these would go away with a legislative act.
Argument for local control
Oakdale’s resolution says the district “supports local control and decision making.”
It asks Newsom and other state officials to reconsider the impact of the mandate on students and staff, “including the anticipated interruption in attendance for many students whose parents elect not to vaccinate them,” eliminate the mandate or guarantee permanent exemptions for religious and personal beliefs and “natural immunity due to COVID-19 exposure,” and allow schools to consult with local public health officials to determine alternative COVID-19 safety protocols.
Regarding enforcement, the resolution says the district will not deny employment or “student access to in-person education” because of COVID-19 vaccination status.
About 35% of district employees are not vaccinated, according to the resolution. The vaccination mandate would compound staff shortages, it states.
Stanislaus County Superintendent Scott Kuykendall made similar arguments in November.
The resolution also claims the vaccine mandate “appears to discriminate against people of color disproportionately; therefore, creating racial, ethnic, and philosophical issues.”
The CDC notes that Black and Latino people are less likely to be vaccinated against COVID-19 but are also more likely to become seriously ill or die from the virus. The American Civil Liberties Union has said vaccine mandates “protect the most vulnerable among us,” including communities of color.
Consequences from state
A California Department of Education spokesman said districts would lose attendance-based funding if students attend school in person but are not vaccinated per the state’s requirements.
“State Superintendent Tony Thurmond respects local control and understands the difficult choices districts need to make in order to keep schools open and safe and to keep all students learning,” spokesman Scott Roark said via email. “However, there are audit consequences for not adhering to current immunization requirements.”
Though the resolution’s passage received a round of applause, some people complained that it does not ban mask mandates, too. Board member Michael House said he wanted to keep the resolution focused to avoid bureaucratic challenges that might arise if masks were incorporated.
House also said the board could not add masks to the resolution during the meeting because that issue was not on the agenda and would therefore violate the Brown Act, the state law governing open public meetings.
Terri Taylor, a former district administrator whom the board appointed earlier in the meeting, was the only trustee to vote against the resolution.
This story was originally published December 21, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
