The D.C. Council voted Tuesday to delay enforcement of the covid-19 vaccination mandate for some students to the next school year. That means that families of D.C. students will not need to have their children vaccinated against the coronavirus by Jan. 3, 2023, or risk having their kids pulled out of school per the city’s “no shots, no school” policy.
At-large Council member Christina Henderson presented the proposal to the council on Tuesday, saying that delaying the enforcement would be in the “best interest” of D.C. students. The vote was the latest in a back-and-forth between council members and city officials over how to approach the requirement.
Few school districts in the U.S. require students to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, and at a hearing on the city’s policy last month, city officials said the council had to decide the fate of the requirement. Henderson introduced the legislation that called for students 12 and older to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, but school leaders expressed concerns about the number of students who may not be allowed to attend classes because they are not up-to-date on vaccines.