CA Walkout Against Vaccines: What Parents, Teachers Are Saying

CALIFORNIA — California will be the first state in the country to require all students to be vaccinated against the coronavirus after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced plans earlier this month to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of required immunizations for in-person instruction at public schools. The mandate would be in effect across grade levels as early as next fall.

In response, a social media campaign called upon parents and teachers to stay home from school Monday to protest the mandate. The proposed California statewide walkout (also called a "sit out" on social media flyers) encouraged parents to skip the school drop-off and not call their child in sick or otherwise excuse the absence.

In a recent Patch survey, 48.2 percent of 8,968 respondents said they supported the peaceful protest, and roughly 48 percent said they disagreed with it. Of the respondents, approximately 2 percent said they were still unsure whether they agreed or disagreed with the walkout.

The survey, which appeared in questionnaire form last week on Patch, was not a scientific poll and was designed only to give a broad idea of public sentiment concerning California's school-age children.

A flyer circulating on social media encouraged parents to keep their children home from school "to keep schools from reaping average daily attendance funds," according to organizers.

Read More: CA School Walkout Against COVID-19 Mandates: 5 Things To Know

The walkout affected elementary, middle and high schools. The walkout also called upon California teachers and other district employees to stay home from work Monday.

"Parents and concerned citizens all over CA are taking action against the forced COVID-19 vaccine mandate for our children in state schools. We demand parental choice over the bodily autonomy of our children," one Twitter flyer said.

“The state already requires that students are vaccinated against viruses that cause measles, mumps, and rubella – there’s no reason why we wouldn’t do the same for COVID-19,” Newsom said in a statement. “Vaccines work. It’s why California leads the country in preventing school closures and has the lowest case rates. We encourage other states to follow our lead to keep our kids safe and prevent the spread of COVID-19.”

How Parents Responded To Walkout In California:

Parents across the state have responded to Patch through the unscientific but comprehensive survey (See below for survey results, by county). By and large, parents who responded to the survey were split on their decisions to support the walkout or send their students to school. No names were collected in this survey, however, all were encouraged to share their thoughts along with their answers. Residents of Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego and Riverside Counties were the most outspoken in the Patch survey. Here are how a few residents responded.

In Alameda County, 589 residents said they were against the walkout, in general; 27 respondents were unsure how they felt about it, while 391 more told us they favored the walkout.

Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District Superintendent Chris Van Schaack shared that Monday's walkout was not impacting classes in their district.

"Although we won't have specific attendance numbers to share until the end of the day, we have heard that some parents have elected to keep their students out of school today," Von Schaack told Patch. "It does not appear to be a large number, as our sites are reporting that it has been learning as usual in our classrooms."

Nearby Pleasanton Unified School District reported that they were not aware of any walkouts.

An Alameda parent opposed to the walkout, who planned to send their child to school Monday told Patch:

"I think it is unfair to affect other children and their education by having this walkout. Just like it is unfair to block all lanes of traffic on a bridge for a cause. It only annoys people not make them aware of your cause. It is rude and inconsiderate."

Another parent who supported the walkout and was keeping their student home on Monday wrote in their survey response:

"The criteria should be negative test or vaccine. I support mask mandates. I oppose vaccine-only mandates. The vaccinated are also spreading COVID & causing it to mutate, & most who are vaccinated aren't getting tested & often don't know they're infecting others."

In Contra Costa County, 535 parents said they were opposed to the walkout, while 19 were unsure and 329 reported they would be taking part.

One Contra Costa responder against the walkout said the vaccine is just another to add to those required for schools, and that "adding a Covid vaccine is a simple addition to protect our kids and teachers."

An opposing Contra Costa parent said "We should have a choice. Getting tested 2 times a week should be just as good as being vaccinated. Especially if you had Covid and still have antibodies!"

In Los Angeles County, 762 respondents were opposed to the walkout, while 31 were undecided. Another 660 parents were in support of the event.

One Los Angeles parent opposed to the walkout told Patch that keeping your child out of school Monday would just "punish the child, because they will still be responsible for the work missed, rather than sending a message. This seems like the most selfish of ways a parent could peacefully protest."

An undecided Los Angeles participant shared that "while I don’t agree with this protest, parents and students have the right to peaceful protest if they wish."

San Diego County was evenly split, with 308 opposing the walkout and 306 in its favor.

Orange County showed that those in support of the walkout outnumbered those against the demonstration. In OC, 479 residents wrote that they were opposed to the walkout, with 19 undecided and another 612 in support.

In Laguna Beach, the district was aware of the walkout and attempted to alert their families that the only ones hurt by non-attendance would be the students, themselves.

"We're aware our families have strong emotions on the issue of the COVID-19 vaccination requirement by the governor," LBUSD Public Information Officer Shelly Spencer told Patch. "Funding will not be impacted by absences in our district, but our children will be. We encouraged all of our families to show up to school on Monday, from transitional kindergarten all the way to high school."

One Orange County family suggested that "vaccine mandates are a safe way for our kids to get back to school! People supporting this “sit out” are the some of the same who protested that kids should get back to in person learning. This disease is preventable now. Let’s not have any more disruptions to our children’s education."

Families in opposition cited governmental overreach. One Riverside County respondent suggested the mandate would encourage them to leave the state. "If I am unable to secure Covid 19 vaccine exemptions for my school age children, we will move out of state and take our business and well paid employees with us, meaning significant lost tax revenue to California."

In Riverside County, even more respondents opposed the walkout with 981 in favor of walking out of school and 594 against the idea.

One family opposed to the Riverside County walkout suggested that their children "have missed enough school! I don’t agree we should have to vaccinate our children but I’m not the expert in this."

Another Riverside family participating in the walkout said that they are not opposed to masks in the classroom, but that is where they draw the line. "Forcing the kids to have to get vaccinated is what yhe problem is."

What Happens To Schools On Walkout Day?

It's not clear that the proposed walkout will affect school funding as of this report.

Historically, the state has garnered funds from average daily attendance. In 2020, representatives changed statewide legislation regarding "in-person" attendance in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since 2020, public schools no longer received funding from average daily attendance. Instead, funding is allocated for the upcoming school year based on attendance from the previous school year, CalMatters reported.

Senate Bill 98 provided schools "with the resources and flexibilities necessary to provide quality public education during the COVID-19 pandemic," according to a statement released by Newsom in 2020. "Among other things, this bill protects school funding from uncertainties caused by COVID-19."

Did you send your child to school on Monday, or did they walk out? E-mail your photos and your story to Patch.com for a chance to be featured on Patch California.

California's By-County Survey Results: