Republican lawmakers seemed poised Monday to vote against Gov. John Bel Edwards’ coronavirus vaccine requirement for some Louisiana students, but the Democratic governor intends to overrule any legislative rejection and add the shot to the immunization schedule starting next year.
The fate of the plan seems likely to be decided by the courts, with Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry and the Edwards administration at odds over whether the coronavirus vaccine requirement can be legally enacted by the governor without support from the full Legislature.
Even if the coronavirus shots are mandated at Louisiana schools, the state allows broad exemptions for parents and students to opt out by submitting a written objection from a doctor or a general written dissent.
But some lawmakers worry that children could be excluded from in-person classes if they file such paperwork, even though the Louisiana Department of Health says it doesn’t intend to push the exclusion of unvaccinated children from school. The lawmakers—several of whom say they are vaccinated—say parents should get to make decisions about the shots their children receive.
If it takes effect, the initial rollout of the vaccination requirement would apply only to age groups for whom the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given full approval of the immunization. Currently, that’s only high school students 16 and older. But that would broaden to cover younger children and day care facilities if the FDA grants full backing to the shots for more age groups.
Monday’s hearing was packed with parents opposed to the vaccination rule and with Republican lawmakers who don’t sit on the committee but wanted to speak in opposition to requiring students to get the immunization or file an opt-out form. Read the full story.Â
