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The California State Supreme Court dealt a blow to Governor Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., and former California Senator Richard Pan (D) in its affirmation that school districts in the state cannot mandate Covid vaccinations for their students.
According to a statement from Let Them Breathe, a pro-parent and anti-mandate organization founded by Sharon McKeeman, the ruling was a victory for their group.
“The CA Supreme Court affirmed our ruling against SDUSD which set state precedent that school districts can not require COVID vaccines!” they stated on their Twitter account. “The highest state court rejected Sen Pan’s challenge of our ruling that protects millions of students. YOU WON!”
Per the San Francisco Chronicle (SFC), the case in question pertained to a ruling from the Fourth District Court of Appeal in November, which affirmed that school districts did not have the right to order the vaccine for students.
The ruling stemmed from a case brought against the San Diego Unified School District, which attempted to propose a mandate in September 2021 that would have required students ages 16 and up to receive a Covid shot to attend any classes or events on campus.
The SFC’s report also noted that the court ruled that a standing state law that allows schools to administer vaccines to students only applies to vaccines that have already been given the green light by the state of California. The Covid shot is not one of those vaccines.
The news of the California Supreme Court’s affirmation of medical freedom comes after several weeks of speculation that the Golden State was poised to scrap its push to implement a vaccine mandate for kids.
Via RSBN, EdSource reported that California officials informed them that the termination of the state of emergency on Feb. 28 would herald the official end of the push for mandatory Covid vaccinations for school children statewide.
Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., appeared to confirm the speculation by tweeting, “California’s COVID vaccine mandate for K-12 students is being withdrawn, having never taken effect. To all the parents who joined together and fought back: We won. To Gavin Newsom: You lost.”
