SACRAMENTO—A California Senate bill that would have required all K–12 students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and eliminated personal belief exemption has been tabled.
Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), the legislator behind Senate Bill (SB) 871, announced on April 14 that COVID-19 vaccination rates are “insufficient” among children as parents struggle to find the time and transportation to get their children vaccinated.
“Until children’s access to COVID vaccination is greatly improved, I believe that a state-wide policy to require COVID vaccination in schools is not the immediate priority,” Pan said in a statement.
While SB 871 will not be pursued, Pan is committed to pushing policies to combat COVID-19 in schools, such as testing plans and an improved immunization registry, he said.
Meanwhile, Assemblyman Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin) praised the removal of the bill.
“There it is. We have defeated SB 871, the student vaccine mandate,” Kiley wrote on Twitter.
