On Oct. 1 Gov. Gavin Newsom announced plans to include the COVID-19 vaccine with the required vaccinations for student admission to public and private schools.

By Mary O’KEEFE

“Students will be required to be vaccinated for in-person learning starting the term following the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) full approval of the vaccine for their grade span [seventh through 12 and kindergarten through sixth],” according to a release from Newsom’s office. “The state already requires that students are vaccinated against viruses that cause measles, mumps, and rubella – there’s no reason why we wouldn’t do the same for COVID-19. Today’s measure, just like our first-in-the-nation school masking and staff vaccination requirements, is about protecting our children and school staff, and keeping them in the classroom.”

Glendale Unified School District requires children entering transitional kindergarten and kindergarten to be vaccinated for polio, diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DPT/DT), measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), hepatitis B and varicella/chickenpox. Students who are ages 7 to 17 must prove they have been vaccinated for polio, DPT/DT, MMR, hepatitis B, and varicella/chickenpox.

“Glendale Unified continues to focus on equity, access, education and engagement for vaccinations. We will continue to educate our community on the importance of vaccination and provide easy access to vaccination and testing,” stated the GUSD spokeswoman in response to Newsom’s announcement.

There is a history of requiring vaccines for students and a history of those who support vaccinations and those who are against them.

In 1894, the U.S. faced its first polio epidemic. A few years later it was discovered how contagious polio actually was and, in 1916, New York City faced its own polio epidemic. Present day, photos of children going to school wearing facemasks will join the archives of hundreds of children in “iron lungs” as they battled polio.

Prior to the mumps vaccination program that began in 1967, mumps was a common childhood disease. Due to the vaccines there has been a 99% decrease in mumps cases in the U.S., according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Fifty U.S. states and DC require the DTap vaccine, or another vaccine combination for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, for registration to kindergarten. All 50 states and DC require the polio vaccine (IPV) for entry into kindergarten.

Parents of students have not only been required to show proof of vaccination but must also show proof of boosters when required by the vaccine.

Crescenta Valley and Glendale residents have a history of reacting quickly to the threat of illness for their students. In 2006, two Crescenta Valley High School [CVHS] students were diagnosed and hospitalized with meningitis. Worried parents lined up at CVHS for their child to be given a preventive antibiotic, Ciprofloxacin, as a safety measure. At the time, 1,600 teens, with their parents at their side, filled out the forms to receive the drug. California State Universities and Colleges require students be vaccinated against meningococcal meningitis. Meningococcal meningitis is a bacterial form of meningitis, according to the CDC.

The number of COVID-19 cases in children is growing across the nation. As of Sept. 30 about 5.9 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic. The number of new child COVID cases remains exceptionally high. Over 173,000 cases were added in the week prior to Sept. 30, with nearly 850,000 child cases added over the past four weeks. Children represented 26.7% of the weekly reported cases. Over two weeks, Sept. 16 to Sept. 30, there was a 7% increase in the cumulated number of child COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Many of those who are against the vaccine mandate cite personal freedom; however, there are many who support the decision.

“California State PTA supports the use of vaccines to protect the health and safety of children and families across California. The State of California has required student vaccinations in public schools for years and PTA has long-held positions on vaccine requirements to protect our most vulnerable children,” according to a statement from California State Parent Teacher Association President Carol Green.

That support was echoed by many in the field of education, including Toby Boyd, California Teachers Association president; Randi Weingarten, president, American Federation of Teachers; and Jeff Freitas, president of California Federation of Teachers.

Most recently, Glendale Unified employee and parent leaders had an opportunity to share frequently asked questions about the COVID-19 vaccination with Dr. Nava Yeganeh, pediatric infectious disease doctor at UCLA, and medical epidemiologist and lead of the vaccine unit for the education branch at the Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health. A recording of this presentation is available at www.gusd.net/SuptUpdate.