Some Merced County school districts ask state to recommend, but not mandate COVID vaccine

With California’s impending COVID-19 vaccine requirement for K-12 schools on the horizon, some Merced County school districts are calling on state officials to recommend — rather than mandate — the shots, fearing the implications it could have on staff and school enrollment.

For example, this week the McSwain Union Elementary School District Board voted unanimously to pass a resolution saying while they support efforts to recommend COVID vaccinations, the shots should remain optional.

“The McSwain Union Elementary School District remains focused on teachers educating our students in person and doing so in the safest environment possible,” said Superintendent Andrew Kersten, reading text from the board’s resolution.

“With this in mind, the district feels strongly that all eligible students and staff should receive their COVID-19 vaccinations, and the district also feels the vaccine is a personal choice and informed parents and staff need to make that choice.”

Tuesday’s resolution passed by the board still “strongly” urged students and staff to get the vaccine, but stops far short of supporting a mandate.

The resolution also urges the governor to reconsider the mandate, saying the district will further petition against the upcoming requirements.

“It’s important we recommend, and not mandate,” said board president Joe Hoffar. “It’s the choice of the parent and child.”

The board’s resolution follows Gov. Gavin Newsom’s October announcement that COVID vaccinations would be added to 10 other immunizations already required for school kids, including those for measles and mumps.

Under the state rules, elementary through high school students in public and private schools would eventually have to receive the COVID shot for in-person instruction.

But first the vaccines would require final approval by the federal government for specific age groups for children. So far only the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has received non-emergency approval for youth ages 16 and up.

The state’s new vaccine rule for schools applies to both private and public schools and will be phased in by grade span: 7-12 followed by K-6. Once the vaccine receives final approval from the federal government, students have to get vaccinated by the following school term.

Back in October, Newsom said he expected that to be no later than July 1 next year.

McSwain Union Elementary school officials and others are concerned a vaccine mandate will result in further staff shortages and parents withholding their kids from school.

“The district has demonstrated that it is able to provide a safe learning environment following current COVID-19 protocols, and will continue to follow Merced County and California Department of Public Health protocols as possible that do not include a vaccine mandate,” Kersten said, reading from the resolution.

Politico reported last month that students would still be able to seek COVID vaccine exemptions for medical, religious and personal beliefs under Newsom’s plan because it’s being enacted through regulation.

The article also pointed out California lawmakers can change that when they resume in January, and the issue will likely be on their list for possible action.

One teacher from the district spoke out in support of the resolution on Tuesday night. “Imposing this heavy-handed vaccine mandate will have disastrous ramifications for students,” said third grade teacher Stephanie Wendel.

Other concerns expressed

Other local educators have also weighed-in on the upcoming COVID-19 vaccine mandate in K-12 schools.

Steve Tietjen, Merced County superintendent of schools, recently wrote a column that appeared in the Sun-Star, supporting a “personal belief exemption” rather than a blanket mandate for K-12 schools.

“The inclusion of a K-12 vaccination mandate into these mitigation measures could add to the layer of protection for our community; however, it concerns me that this mandate takes away from the choices of parents who are conflicted about a vaccination mandate,” Tietjen wrote.

“Without a personal-belief option, we would be overlooking these parents, and many students could be forced out of the classroom.”

Other school districts in Merced County are considering what their options are ahead of the New Year. Meanwhile others, as of mid-December, don’t have concrete plans to take a stance one way or the other on the vaccine mandate.

Los Banos Unified School District Superintendent Mike Marshall echoed some of the concerns Tietjen raised in his column, saying the exclusion of a personal belief exemption limits the choices of parents.

“As a result of this, many students could be excluded from the classroom. We hope that this information is considered moving forward,” Marshall wrote in an email.

The COVID-19 shot would join a host of other inoculations students are required to get before attending school, including diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, Hepatitis B and chickenpox.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3,116 children were diagnosed with COVID-19 between March 1, 2020 and June 26, 2021.

Approximately 26.5% of those children were admitted to the ICU and 0.7%, or about 21, died from the illness.

The CDC also identified 49.7 COVID hospitalizations per 100,000 children, with the highest rates among kids younger than 4 years old. Children between 5 and 11 years old were hospitalized at a rate of 24 per 100,000 children and 63.7 per 100,000 kids aged 12-17 were hospitalized.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story was originally published December 16, 2021 at 5:00 AM.