Mandatory vaccines for teachers/staff and eligible students

[Anonymous]

The only thing that seems to allow a normal semblance of school and a normal semblance of life is widespread vaccination. However, vaccination is loping along at a snails pace in DC, and rates in certain sectors of the city are very low.

Case rates in DC have started picking up again, and everyone is freaking out about Delta.

At what point will there be collective action to demand mandatory vaccination in schools? Who has the power in DC to do this?

[Anonymous]

There will not be a required vaccine until we get full vaccine authorization, not just emergency use.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There will not be a required vaccine until we get full vaccine authorization, not just emergency use.

I don't think that's accurate, as public universities have required vaccination while the shot is still EUA.

https://www.npr.org/2021/07/19/1018010489/indiana-universitys-vaccine-requirement-should-stand-federal-judge-rules

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There will not be a required vaccine until we get full vaccine authorization, not just emergency use.

I don't think that's accurate, as public universities have required vaccination while the shot is still EUA.

https://www.npr.org/2021/07/19/1018010489/indiana-universitys-vaccine-requirement-should-stand-federal-judge-rules

It's not the same. Attendance at K-12 is mandatory; college is optional.

[Anonymous]

My understanding is that the vaccine for over-18 should be full approval by Fall, so at least it could be mandated for teachers/staff by then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There will not be a required vaccine until we get full vaccine authorization, not just emergency use.

I don't think that's accurate, as public universities have required vaccination while the shot is still EUA.

https://www.npr.org/2021/07/19/1018010489/indiana-universitys-vaccine-requirement-should-stand-federal-judge-rules

It's not the same. Attendance at K-12 is mandatory; college is optional.

I don't know how that makes a difference, or rather I don't know how it makes a difference if we are just talking about in-person school.

Students could opt into virtual school.

And teachers/staff don't technically HAVE to work at schools.

[Anonymous]

Hundreds of public universities are requiring students and staff to be vaccinated. A federal judge ruled that Indiana U's requirement should stand, when it was challenged in court.

However this precedent doesn't automatically mean that public K-12 schools can require the vaccine, since the safety bar for vaccines is higher for children, and some parents will likely fight a lot harder for their minor kids than for their college kids.

If this were a purely medical/public health decision, vaccines would be required in group settings of all sorts (schools, prisons, nursing homes, group homes, etc). But this will be just as much a political decision as a scientific one - judges are not scientists, and if it goes to the Supreme Court as a question on civil liberties, I will remind you that this Court is very much on the side of giving individuals enough rope to hang themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hundreds of public universities are requiring students and staff to be vaccinated. A federal judge ruled that Indiana U's requirement should stand, when it was challenged in court.

However this precedent doesn't automatically mean that public K-12 schools can require the vaccine, since the safety bar for vaccines is higher for children, and some parents will likely fight a lot harder for their minor kids than for their college kids.

If this were a purely medical/public health decision, vaccines would be required in group settings of all sorts (schools, prisons, nursing homes, group homes, etc). But this will be just as much a political decision as a scientific one - judges are not scientists, and if it goes to the Supreme Court as a question on civil liberties, I will remind you that this Court is very much on the side of giving individuals enough rope to hang themselves.

Ok, then what about staff/teachers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hundreds of public universities are requiring students and staff to be vaccinated. A federal judge ruled that Indiana U's requirement should stand, when it was challenged in court.

However this precedent doesn't automatically mean that public K-12 schools can require the vaccine, since the safety bar for vaccines is higher for children, and some parents will likely fight a lot harder for their minor kids than for their college kids.

If this were a purely medical/public health decision, vaccines would be required in group settings of all sorts (schools, prisons, nursing homes, group homes, etc). But this will be just as much a political decision as a scientific one - judges are not scientists, and if it goes to the Supreme Court as a question on civil liberties, I will remind you that this Court is very much on the side of giving individuals enough rope to hang themselves.

Ok, then what about staff/teachers?

It doesn’t matter what the courts say. You have to have a local government willing to say it is mandatory. DC gov is not that entity at this point

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hundreds of public universities are requiring students and staff to be vaccinated. A federal judge ruled that Indiana U's requirement should stand, when it was challenged in court.

However this precedent doesn't automatically mean that public K-12 schools can require the vaccine, since the safety bar for vaccines is higher for children, and some parents will likely fight a lot harder for their minor kids than for their college kids.

If this were a purely medical/public health decision, vaccines would be required in group settings of all sorts (schools, prisons, nursing homes, group homes, etc). But this will be just as much a political decision as a scientific one - judges are not scientists, and if it goes to the Supreme Court as a question on civil liberties, I will remind you that this Court is very much on the side of giving individuals enough rope to hang themselves.

Ok, then what about staff/teachers?

Meaning: Your point seems that the safety issue is a lot less clear from a medical standpoint for certain ages of kids over 12. I suppose we will also get into a political fight to have staff/teachers have mandatory vaccination. I wonder who would take up the stance that teachers/staff should NOT have to receive the vax.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hundreds of public universities are requiring students and staff to be vaccinated. A federal judge ruled that Indiana U's requirement should stand, when it was challenged in court.

However this precedent doesn't automatically mean that public K-12 schools can require the vaccine, since the safety bar for vaccines is higher for children, and some parents will likely fight a lot harder for their minor kids than for their college kids.

If this were a purely medical/public health decision, vaccines would be required in group settings of all sorts (schools, prisons, nursing homes, group homes, etc). But this will be just as much a political decision as a scientific one - judges are not scientists, and if it goes to the Supreme Court as a question on civil liberties, I will remind you that this Court is very much on the side of giving individuals enough rope to hang themselves.

Ok, then what about staff/teachers?

It doesn’t matter what the courts say. You have to have a local government willing to say it is mandatory. DC gov is not that entity at this point

Are you saying that DC gov is NOT making it mandatory at present? Yes we know that. But COULD they?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hundreds of public universities are requiring students and staff to be vaccinated. A federal judge ruled that Indiana U's requirement should stand, when it was challenged in court.

However this precedent doesn't automatically mean that public K-12 schools can require the vaccine, since the safety bar for vaccines is higher for children, and some parents will likely fight a lot harder for their minor kids than for their college kids.

If this were a purely medical/public health decision, vaccines would be required in group settings of all sorts (schools, prisons, nursing homes, group homes, etc). But this will be just as much a political decision as a scientific one - judges are not scientists, and if it goes to the Supreme Court as a question on civil liberties, I will remind you that this Court is very much on the side of giving individuals enough rope to hang themselves.

Ok, then what about staff/teachers?

It doesn’t matter what the courts say. You have to have a local government willing to say it is mandatory. DC gov is not that entity at this point

Are you saying that DC gov is NOT making it mandatory at present? Yes we know that. But COULD they?

It doesn’t matter if they could, they WON’T. I would not be surprised if it isn’t mandatory next school year either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hundreds of public universities are requiring students and staff to be vaccinated. A federal judge ruled that Indiana U's requirement should stand, when it was challenged in court.

However this precedent doesn't automatically mean that public K-12 schools can require the vaccine, since the safety bar for vaccines is higher for children, and some parents will likely fight a lot harder for their minor kids than for their college kids.

If this were a purely medical/public health decision, vaccines would be required in group settings of all sorts (schools, prisons, nursing homes, group homes, etc). But this will be just as much a political decision as a scientific one - judges are not scientists, and if it goes to the Supreme Court as a question on civil liberties, I will remind you that this Court is very much on the side of giving individuals enough rope to hang themselves.

Ok, then what about staff/teachers?

It doesn’t matter what the courts say. You have to have a local government willing to say it is mandatory. DC gov is not that entity at this point

Are you saying that DC gov is NOT making it mandatory at present? Yes we know that. But COULD they?

It doesn’t matter if they could, they WON’T. I would not be surprised if it isn’t mandatory next school year either.

Why are you saying they WON'T (in caps)?

At what point do we all look around at the disaster that is continuing to happen and decide 'enough is enough'? You think Bowser will just say "meh more of my populace dying is fine, keeping the schools closed again is fine, education gaps by race increasing is fine"? When is it enough?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hundreds of public universities are requiring students and staff to be vaccinated. A federal judge ruled that Indiana U's requirement should stand, when it was challenged in court.

However this precedent doesn't automatically mean that public K-12 schools can require the vaccine, since the safety bar for vaccines is higher for children, and some parents will likely fight a lot harder for their minor kids than for their college kids.

If this were a purely medical/public health decision, vaccines would be required in group settings of all sorts (schools, prisons, nursing homes, group homes, etc). But this will be just as much a political decision as a scientific one - judges are not scientists, and if it goes to the Supreme Court as a question on civil liberties, I will remind you that this Court is very much on the side of giving individuals enough rope to hang themselves.

We already have mandatory vaccines for kids. Just not COVID yet. The Supreme Court has already litigated this in the context of other vaccines. You can't just make up legal theory based on what you think ought to be true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hundreds of public universities are requiring students and staff to be vaccinated. A federal judge ruled that Indiana U's requirement should stand, when it was challenged in court.

However this precedent doesn't automatically mean that public K-12 schools can require the vaccine, since the safety bar for vaccines is higher for children, and some parents will likely fight a lot harder for their minor kids than for their college kids.

If this were a purely medical/public health decision, vaccines would be required in group settings of all sorts (schools, prisons, nursing homes, group homes, etc). But this will be just as much a political decision as a scientific one - judges are not scientists, and if it goes to the Supreme Court as a question on civil liberties, I will remind you that this Court is very much on the side of giving individuals enough rope to hang themselves.

Ok, then what about staff/teachers?

It doesn’t matter what the courts say. You have to have a local government willing to say it is mandatory. DC gov is not that entity at this point

Are you saying that DC gov is NOT making it mandatory at present? Yes we know that. But COULD they?

It doesn’t matter if they could, they WON’T. I would not be surprised if it isn’t mandatory next school year either.

Why are you saying they WON'T (in caps)?

At what point do we all look around at the disaster that is continuing to happen and decide 'enough is enough'? You think Bowser will just say "meh more of my populace dying is fine, keeping the schools closed again is fine, education gaps by race increasing is fine"? When is it enough?

DP: I have generally lost my faith in the ability of government to do good work.