Teens for Vaccines Co-Sponsors SB 871 “Keep Schools Open and Safe Act”- Require COVID vaccine for school enrollment.

Questions by KSBY reporter and Arin Parsa's responses on why SB 871 must pass.

Why do you feel this bill is necessary?

I deeply believe that keeping schools safe and open is very much needed for both our physical health as well as mental health. COVID-19 pandemic has been ravaging our schools for over two years now and we are facing incessant waves of the virus. We still have over a million students not yet vaccinated and we need schools to be a safe place, especially for the immunocompromised children who are at severe risk from COVID and underserved youth for whom distance learning is inequitable. 

We know that vaccines are safe and effective and that mandates work. LAUSD is a shining example with a 90% vaccination rate with 600 thousand students with no school closures. For both our physical and mental health, we need to pass this bill. 

Do you feel it takes away the right to choose?

No, this bill does not take away the right to choose. Parents can still make the decision to whether they want to vaccinate their children and send them to public schools. This is no different than making the decision for Tdap and other required school vaccines. Every choice has a consequence and in this case by getting vaccinated we are making a choice to protect those who depend on us.

If vaccine rates are already so high in California why add more mandates

We still have over a million eligible children not yet vaccinated. Mandates have been proven to work, such as with LAUSD, and with the omicron and delta variants, we need to recognize that we need to get ahead of the virus before it mutates yet again! We cannot stay in this cycle of the pandemic at the cost of students health, happiness, and futures.

Senate bill 866 proposed Thursday is similar and would let students get vaccinated without parental consent..is that something you are in favor of also?

Yes. Absolutely, I am in favor of SB 866. Teens for Vaccines is a co-sponsor for both bills. I have been a teen healthcare advocate since the 2019 measles outbreaks and it has been gut wrenching and devastating for me to see so many teens live in fear, isolation, and sadness when they don’t have the basic rights to protect themselves against deadly diseases. COVID has claimed our happiness and futures. As I have said before, passing these bills is imperative for our physical health, mental health, and our futures. We need to CRUSH COVID!

What is the student reaction around this bill, to your knowledge?

Students absolutely support this bill. It has been over two years living in this roller coaster of a pandemic. Just when we thought last summer when the rates were going down, we were hit with the Delta variant and then Omicron in the Winter close to New Year when we were celebrating 2022. Teens and students are fatigued and fed up. It is time people stop denying the science and data, and get vaccinated, wear masks, and keep schools open, so we can get ahead of this virus and crush COVID and get our lives back and keep schools open!