Tipsheet

Education Secretary Wants COVID-19 Vaccine Mandated for Schoolchildren

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  September 24, 2021 4:00 PM

Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona told POLITICO on Thursday that he is in favor of mandating the COVID-19 vaccines for eligible schoolchildren.

"Not only do I support it, but I’m encouraging states to come up with a plan to make sure it happens," he said of the COVID vaccine being added to the list of required ones for school. "I would like governors who hold those decisions to make those decisions now that [vaccines] are FDA-approved." 

The secretary had been in between stops of a multistate tour of schools, advertised as part of the Return to School road trip. 

When it comes to likely pushback, Cardona pointed out that other vaccines are mandated for school children. 

Cardona also repeated that stance to MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle, acknowledging that although he is not a medical expert, he supports mandatory vaccines for eligible schoolchildren. The secretary likewise compared it to measles, as he did when speaking with POLITICO. 

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He even reaffirmed the administration's stance on vaccine mandates for adults, noting "I appreciate what the president did, for federal employees, we're going to require that." 

Earlier this month, President Joe Biden announced a vaccine mandate for federal employees and contractors. He took it even further, though, in that the Department of Labor, via Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), will issue a new rule mandating that private employers with more than 100 workers have a vaccine mandate or have their employees submit to testing at least once a week.

The Pfizer vaccine was approved by the FDA for those over 16-years-old last month. It is available under emergency use for those 12-15 years old. As Leah reported on Monday, Pfizer and BioNTech released a press release indicating "positive topline results" for children 5-11 years old.