Announcement from Ted Alejandre, County Superintendent:
At a press conference held today at 9:00 a.m. this morning, Governor Newsom announced students attending schools in California will be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
As the Governor’s Office did not make this information available until this morning, we were unaware of this development. However, we will be conferring with our state and local agencies to provide you with the details of the Governor’s new mandate.
In the meantime, based on the announcement made by the Governor today, the following information was provided:
- The COVID-19 vaccine will be treated similarly to the ten vaccines on the list already required by California law for students attending K-12 schools.
- This mandate would not apply until COVID-19 vaccines are given full authorization by the FDA, which could come as early as November for children 12 to 17 years old (with authorization for younger children likely in early 2022).
- Depending on the date of full FDA authorization, the Governor is targeting either January 1, 2022 or July 1, 2022 for adding COVID-19 to the list of required vaccines.
- This COVID-19 vaccination requirement will be for students attending school for in-person instruction. A student who is not vaccinated may remain enrolled in independent study, but may not attend in-person instruction. The COVID-19 vaccination requirement will be implemented utilizing a phased approach:
- Phase 1: Students in Grades 7-12 (ages 12+)
- Phase 2: Students in Grades K-6
- There will be exemptions as is the case with other vaccinations:
- Medical reasons
- Personal beliefs
Please note that this announcement does not change the current CDPH Order requiring vaccination or testing for all K-12 staff working in school facilities by October 15, 2021. But the Governor stated that the testing option would be eliminated for staff in the future so that the vaccination requirements for staff are at least as rigorous as those for students.
We understand this will have a significant impact on our districts and schools across the state and within our county. We will continue to keep you apprised as additional information becomes available. Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Ted Alejandre, County Superintendent
San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools
601 North E Street • San Bernardino, CA 92415-0020
P: 909.386.2406 | F: 909.888.5480
http://www.sbcss.k12.ca.us