The COVID-19 vaccine cannot be required as part of the admissions process to a Texas school, Governor Greg Abbott told the Texas Education Agency and Texas school superintendents on Thursday. A current suggestion from the Centers for Disease Control that included the vaccine in the vaccination schedules for adults and school-aged children is rather replaced by Texas law.
The Governor clarifies that his executive order, which was approved on August 25, 2021, means allowing Texas parents to choose to out of the COVID-19 vaccine for their kids and further encourages parents to be the main decision-makers in their children’s health care in letters to TEA Commissioner- Mike Morath and school superintendents across the state.
Additionally, a number of statutes passed by the Texas Legislature allow parents to choose not to vaccinate their children for medical or social reasons.
The letter says that “Texas continues to recognize and support the choice of parents to select what is best for the health of their families regardless of attempts at federal overreach into American health care decisions. “Unlike what the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) may claim, the COVID-19 vaccine is still optional in Texas. Texas schools may not require for any reason, that students get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Even the most current CDC recommendations do not include a federal vaccine requirement, many institutions build their admission standards for children on CDC advice. Governor Abbott’s letters to TEA leadership and school administrators clarify his executive order banning vaccine requirements and vaccine passports, as well as Texas laws allowing parents to reject vaccinations for religious or health reasons.
