Earlier this week, the state Senate passed Senate Bill 9:37, which aims to prohibit any potential mandate to require COVID 19 vaccinations in schools doing.
We spoke with two local superintendents to see how they’d react if such a mandate did come out.
“I don’t think that it’s going to happen.”
While the Republican controlled Senate passed the bill, it seems to be without merit, given that courts removed Governor Wolf’s school mask mandate last week, and he has not yet suggested mandating vaccines to go to school.
Phillipsburg Osceola Superintendent Dr. Greg Palladino says he hopes it doesn’t come to that either.
“I’m not ready to mandate vaccinations for my students. I mean, I think vaccinations help and I’m vaccinated personally. But you know, to to make other people vaccinate, you know, that’s a decision that, you know, based on their
beliefs, I believe.”
However, with other kinds of vaccinations against diseases such as tetanus, polio and mumps already required to attend school, Dr. Paladino says his view is not set in stone.
“There are a lot of vaccines that are mandated, and I believe that all of them come with options to opt out. So if there are options to opt out, I would. I would certainly support the majority of our students getting vaccinated.”
Bellwood Antis Superintendent Dr. Thomas Mcinroy says that argument has two sides.
“We have a series of vaccines that kids are required to take in order to come to school and what one side of the aisle is saying Well, you have the polio vaccine and you have this vaccine that vaccines as required. Why would you
not require this vaccine? The other side of the aisle says, Well, this vaccines too new. We don’t know all of the implications from it, and they would like to see more testing becomes a mandate as part of entry into a school
district.”
But if a state mandate for COVID vaccines in schools hypothetically did come to fruition,
“Well, we took an oath that we would uphold the law. Superintendents are commissioned officers of the state. So my personal belief has no bearing on what we would be required to do.
What I like it absolutely like. Would I be required to enforce it? Yes.”
