Stitt, leaders clarify OK kids not required to get COVID vax to attend public school

GOVERNOR STITT, COMMISSIONER REED CLARIFY KIDS IN OKLAHOMA NOT REQUIRED TO GET COVID VACCINE TO ATTEND SCHOOL

OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct.20, 2022) – Governor Kevin Stitt released the following statement after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) approved adding the COVID-19 vaccine to childhood immunization schedules.

“Regardless of what the CDC in Washington says, nothing changes in Oklahoma and kids are not required to get a COVID vaccine to attend school,” said Governor Stitt. “It’s up to parents to decide how to protect their child from viruses and as long as I am governor, we will never force kids to get a COVID vaccine to go to school.”

In 2021, Governor Stitt signed SB 658 which prohibits requiring a “vaccination against Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a condition of admittance to or attendance of the school or institution.”

“The vote by the Advisory Committee for Immunizations Practices is a recommendation and not a mandate,” said Keith Reed, Commissioner of Health. “The decision would add the COVID-19 vaccine to a list of recommended, but not mandated, vaccines for school-aged children, similar to the flu vaccine. We always encourage parents to talk with their child’s healthcare provider to make the best decision for their kid.”

Individual states often align their vaccine requirements with recommendations from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. However, state laws establish vaccination requirements for school children. Oklahoma’s guide to immunization requirements for the 2022-2023 school year can be found here.

Senate Health and Human Services chair assures Oklahomans COVID shots not mandatory for school

OKLAHOMA CITY (October 21st) – Sen. Paul Rosino, chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, is reassuring Oklahomans that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cannot make it mandatory for children in this state to get COVID-19 vaccines.

Rosino, R-Oklahoma City, said that the CDC’s decision Thursday to recommend the vaccines has caused confusion for many Oklahoma parents who’ve reached out to his office about their concerns.

“Oklahomans can rest assured, the decision about the COVID-19 vaccine is up to parents.  If they have questions about the shots, they can discuss those issues with their children’s pediatrician, but at the end of the day, it is the parents’ decision,” Rosino said.  “Furthermore, legislation we approved in the 2021 session prohibits making the COVID-19 vaccine a condition for attending school in Oklahoma.”

Commissioner of Health Keith Reed also stressed the shots are not mandatory.

“The CDC’s decision to add the COVID vaccine to routine childhood immunizations is only a recommendation, it is not a mandate,” Reed said. “The decision adds the vaccine to a list of recommended, but not mandated, vaccines for school-aged children, similar to the influenza vaccine. We always encourage parents to talk with their child’s healthcare provider to make the best decision for their child.”