GOP Senator Wants To Ban COVID Vaccine Mandates In NJ Schools

NEW JERSEY — It’s time to stop Trenton bureaucrats from “bullying New Jersey families with more medical demands.” This was the rallying call from Sen. Kristin Corrado (R-40) on Friday, as the Republican lawmaker introduced a bill that would ban the state government from requiring students to get a COVID-19 vaccine to attend a public school.

The state’s public schools aren’t currently requiring students to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. Read More: Back-To-School Vaccines: What NJ Requires For COVID, Other Diseases

Although New Jersey students are not required to get vaccinated against COVID-19, the state will still require school districts and child care facilities to report vaccination and testing data to allow the New Jersey Department of Health to "continue to monitor COVID-19 and make data-driven decisions to keep residents safe."

Gov. Phil Murphy recently signed an executive order lifting the COVID-19 testing requirement for unvaccinated school employees, child care staff and state contractors. The move came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) scaled back COVID guidelines, and changed social distancing and quarantine protocols.

However, according to Corrado – who represents towns in Bergen, Essex and Passaic counties – parents across New Jersey continue to share her concern that the state might do an about-face on the issue. And that’s why she introduced S-3267.

According to Corrado, the bill specifically states: “In no case shall the Commissioner of Health or any other entity of state government require immunization against SARSCoV-2 as a condition of attendance at a public primary or secondary school.”

“This bill makes it clear that we don’t want Trenton bureaucrats bullying New Jersey families with more medical demands,” Corrado said.

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“Arbitrary and unjustified mandates from the Murphy administration have already done enough harm to the state’s young people who have suffered through unnecessary school closures, mask mandates, and learning loss,” Corrado argued.

• See related article: COVID Set Back NJ Math, Reading Scores, 'Nation's Report Card' Shows
• See related article: Study Says 'COVID Slide' Is Hurting Black, Latinx Students In New Jersey

Corrado’s proposed law wouldn’t be a first for the U.S. Legislatures in 21 states ban local school districts from requiring students to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

The senator pointed out that the CDC’s independent vaccine advisers voted on Oct. 20 to add most COVID-19 vaccines offered in the U.S. to the childhood, adolescent and adult immunization schedules, which are updated every fall.

The vote doesn’t roll out any mandates or make changes to existing policy, but some health experts say that there is “symbolism” behind the move.

According to the CDC:

“It has been almost two years since COVID-19 vaccines were first rolled out in the U.S., and nearly 630 million doses have since been administered nationwide, providing people with critical protection against severe COVID-19. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommendation to add COVID-19 vaccines to the routinely recommended vaccine schedule represents another step in the nation’s recovery. It’s important to note that there are no changes in COVID-19 vaccine policy, and today’s action simply helps streamline clinical guidance for health care providers by including all currently licensed, authorized and routinely recommended vaccines in one document.”

Here is the latest CDC data on COVID-19 vaccination rates in New Jersey, as of Friday.

This article contains reporting by Sarah Salvadore, Patch staff

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