Guest Opinion | Tina Fredericks: State Says All K-12 Students Will Have to Vaccinate to Receive In-person Instruction

The question for Pasadena Unified School District is not whether to mandate. The mandate is already here.

On October 1, the State of California passed a COVID-19 vaccination requirement for students at all K-12 public and private schools. This policy adds the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of vaccinations already required for K-12 in-person instruction, including polio, tetanus, hepatitis B, measles, mumps, and chickenpox. 

Although the terms of mandate are pending FDA approval, parents should act now. If we wait for FDA approval, we will lose two months of potential vaccinations. PUSD has to ensure over 15,000 students are vaccinated. We need to chip away at this today so ALL of the students can make it to the finish line by July. 

This is a marathon, not a sprint. In other words, the district would need to ensure vaccination and process proof of vaccination of about 500 students per week — a daunting task. For point of reference — it took PUSD three weeks to process about 500 employees, but continues to streamline its process and create urgency among families.

Under the state requirement, students who don’t get vaccinated by the deadline will be unable to participate in in-person instruction and will only be given the independent study (remote) option. Under California legislation, students will be required to be vaccinated starting the term following full Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for their grade span (either 7-12 or K-6).

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has received full Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for individuals 16 years old and over. It continues to be available under emergency use authorization (EUA) for individuals 12 years of age and older and full approval is coming soon. For 5-11 years olds, Pfizer-BioNTech has applied for EUA and will likely receive approval within weeks.

So if the Pfizer vaccine receives full FDA approval for ages 12-15 years old before January 1, 2022, the deadline for the first dose would be November 27, 2021. If the approval comes after January 1 but by July 1, 2022, the deadline for the first dose would be extended to May 27, 2022. The same is true for students ages 5 – 11 years old. Pfizer is a two-dose vaccine, with three weeks between doses. To be considered fully vaccinated, there is a 14-day waiting period after the second dose.

Like other vaccinations required for students in California’s K-12 schools, the COVID-19 vaccination is subject to exemptions for medical reasons. However, unlike the other vaccinations, at this point in time, the exemptions can also include personal reasons. The details on exemptions are defined by the California Department of Public Health and are subject to California legislation in the upcoming months.

PUSD can lead on education and safety by getting a head start in meeting the vaccination requirement. Through regular and frequent communication to families, PUSD can help prepare families ahead of time to ensure that there is minimal disruption to their child’s in-person learning. The State of California and PUSD have made a commitment to in-person instruction. Let’s make sure that PUSD has as many students qualifying for in-person instruction as possible.

In order to find a vaccination clinic near you and make an appointment, go to https://myturn.ca.gov/

Tina Fredericks is a former high school math teacher, and computer engineer, living in East Pasadena with her husband and two daughters. She is a member of the PUSD Board of Education, but is speaking solely as an individual member of the Board.