PA: Senate Wants To Block Any School COVID Vaccination Mandate

In Pennsylvania, under section 1303 of the school code, we find a requirement to vaccinate school students. Right now, some legislators are preparing to mess with that.

School directors, superintendents, principals, or other persons in charge of any public, private, parochial, or other school including kindergarten, are required to make sure that every child is immunized before being admitted to the school, according to the current list issued by the Secretary of Health. In fact, there are penalties for failing to do so. 

Any person who shall fail, neglect, or refuse to comply with, or who shall violate, any of the provisions or requirements of this section, except as hereinafter provided, shall, for every such offense, upon summary conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine of not less than five dollars ($5) nor more than one hundred dollars ($100), and in default thereof, to undergo an imprisonment in the jail of the proper county for a period not exceeding sixty (60) days. All such fines shall be paid into the treasury of the school district.

All right, not a big fine. But a fine. Exemptions are available for medical or religious reasons. 

The current list of required jabs is diphtheria and tetanus, pertussis, measles-mumps-rubella, and meningococcal conjugate vaccine for high school seniors. 

But now here comes Senate Bill 937, prohibiting the requirement for COVID-19 vaccination for any student. "The bill," my senator tells me in his regular newsletter, "does not contest the efficacy" of the vaccine. But since it only has FDA "emergency use authorization," parents should be able to deny it. The bill is short enough:

Immunization exception-- No child should be required to be immunized for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 known as COVID-19, as a condition of compliance with 28 Pa. Code 28.83 (relating to immunization requirements).

You'll notice that it doesn't include any language like "as soon as the FDA gives full approval, the vaccination can be required for all students and be added to the list of all those other vaccinations that we already require. 

The bill comes from Senator Michele Brooks (R-50), chair of the Health and Human Services committee. The bill passed the Senate upon party lines. Sen. Doug Mastriano compares COVID in PA to seasonal, avian and swine flu. The Senate's passage of the bill actually attracted little attention, other than some conservative sites noting "Yay, freedom!" The bill will now go on to the House. If you're in Pennsylvania, you may want to give your representative a call.

While Gov. Wolf has already said that he will veto the bill, he's also said he has no intention of mandating vaccination. So for teachers who have family members who cannot be vaccinated against the disease that has so far killed 800,000 citizens and stuck some untold number of others with long term disability, none of this news is great.