Students in California need the COVID-19 vaccine in order to attend school in August 2022.
Governor Gavin Newsom announced his plan to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of vaccinations required to attend school when the Food Drug Administration (FDA) gives full approval to the vaccine. At that point, California would become the first state to officially mandate the vaccine at schools.
Alton Lee, a science teacher at Woodside, supports the science behind the vaccine.
“Schools are one of the places where you have a bunch of people being with each other all the time for a very long part of the day,” Lee said. “Considering that school basically affects everyone, schools touch everyone directly or indirectly.”
As a teacher, Lee noticed that understanding the vaccine came from the science he teaches.
“The technology that Pfizer and Moderna are based on makes a lot of sense if you have studied high school biology,” Lee said. “[The vaccine] works. The data is showing us that it works.”
Lee wants students to get the vaccine because he wants them to be protected.
“My job as an educator is to make sure that kids are physically safe here when they’re here,” Lee said. “There are a lot of things kids are missing out on this year right now because this is still happening.”
Mayleen Lao, a junior at Woodside acknowledges both sides of this conflict.
“I can understand both arguments,” said Lao. “I think the vaccine would be incredibly beneficial.”
Lao is grateful we have the technology for vaccines.
“I don’t think people realize how lucky we are to have access to vaccines,” said Lao. “ If you look at any other country they don’t have access to vaccines and everyone’s still in quarantine.”
Lao is thankful that there are plenty of vaccines for everyone. Nanette Pasion, the health aid at Woodside shared why the vaccine should not be forced upon people.
“I am more about just educating people about it [the vaccine],” Pasion said. “I cannot say I would urge people to get it because everyone has the right to do what they want with their body.”
Pasion thinks people should have the option to get vaccinated. She thinks that getting vaccinated should be up to the people.
“I think to mandate getting the COVID vaccine for health care workers just goes back to eliminating people’s rights,” Pasion said. “I know that there are even healthcare people that are hesitant to get it themselves because the research and development of the COVID vaccine wasn’t as long or extensive as other vaccines that we’ve gotten.”
Once the FDA approves this, the mandate will take effect in all California schools.
“At least in the public school setting, I know being in the health office that we require childhood vaccines in order for you as a student to be enrolled in public school,” Pasion said. “So, I don’t see why it wouldn’t happen eventually for the COVID vaccine as well.”
Shomance Ighanian Healey, a science teacher at Woodside, feels reassured by the vaccine.
“I think that it’s amazing that they created a vaccine so quickly,” Ighanian said. “In our area, so many people have gotten it, and COVID is much lower here than in other places.”
Ighanian thinks the mandates will benefit people from getting sick.
“People will feel safer if they know everyone else around is also vaccinated,” Ighanian said. “If we can keep the COVID rate down then we will have fewer and fewer deaths.”
To reduce the spread of COVID Ighanian believes people should get vaccinated.
“I think it’s not fair that people won’t get it because of political reasons,” Ighanian said. “Some people can’t get the vaccine for medical reasons and that I understand, but I think there’s an exemption for them.”
Ighanian’s opinion is that people should educate themselves.
“Read all the articles about it, listen to the people who’ve gotten it and are perfectly healthy and doing well, feeling safe, didn’t get any side effects, just listen to the science,” Ighanian said.
