Ramona Unified School District (RUSD) Board of Trustees in Eastern San Diego County approved a resolution stating that it will not require COVID-19 vaccination of its students until the state of California issues a mandate.
“Like most communities, we have folks in our community that are very concerned about the mandates being placed upon people as a result of the governor's emergency declaration,” said Theresa Grace, RUSD superintendent. "Parents who have communicated with me don't necessarily feel like they know the long-term ramifications of this because it's so new. That's their concern."
The resolution, which was unanimously passed by the RUSD Board of Trustees on Nov. 18, 2021, notes that guidance provided by state and local government agencies and health officers has been inconsistent, frequently changing, and containing a mix of mandates and recommendations.
“The essence of the resolution is that as a board they support parents' rights to choose the medical decisions for their children,” Grace told the Southern California Record. “We did have a handful of parents who were there at the board meeting to speak in support of the resolution.”
In the resolution, the board declares it their policy to "encourage people to make an informed decision by assessing risk and making the best choice for themselves and their families, including the right to determine if they should receive COVID 19 vaccine."
Grace added that at the time board members passed the resolution, they were well aware of the activist parents’ group ‘Let Them Choose’ and ‘Let Them Breathe,’ which have been advocating against masks and COVID-19 vaccines in schools.
“They've been active all summer and we have parents in our community who have joined their cause who were anti-mask and anti-vaccine,” Grace said. “They've been vocal but we've also had parents who disagree and believe that masks are important for public health and safety and that the board and schools should support mask-wearing. So, we have definitely had vocal people on both sides of that issue.”
Let Them Choose sued the San Diego Unified School District last year after it issued a mandate requiring students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or be relegated to independent study.
"San Diego Unified is a huge school district and we are a midsize more rural district,” Grace said. “We try to keep our focus on educating kids in a safe and healthy environment."
San Diego Unified School District’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate has since been struck down by San Diego Superior Court Judge John Meyer who ruled that it is the state legislature, not school districts, that have authority to mandate coronavirus vaccinations among students 16 years and older without a personal belief exemption.
“It’s a distraction in the community and we're doing everything we can to keep it from being a distraction in our schools,” Grace added. “So far, we've been very successful with that.”