The D.C. Council is mulling a citywide coronavirus vaccine mandate for all city students who are eligible for the shot.<\/p>\n
The council held a public hearing Wednesday on a bill requiring vaccination for all students in public, charter, independent, private, and parochial schools who are old enough, WTTG-TV (Channel 5) reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n The push for mandatory vaccinations was spearheaded by Heather Schoell, president of the Eastern Senior High School PTO, who sent a letter with the request to Mayor Muriel Bowser and Council Chairman Phil Mendelson.<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t make sense students who play sports have to be vaccinated, but students who are inside eating lunch together, students who are in a theater together don\u2019t have to be vaccinated,\u201d Schoell said, WTTG reported. \u201cIt should be a blanket so everyone can be protected.\u201d<\/p>\n The bill calls for students to be fully vaccinated by Dec. 15, though the council will likely push back that rapidly approaching deadline, WTTG reported.<\/p>\n Students with accepted medical or religious exemptions would not be forced to get the vaccine.<\/p>\n City health department data shows that only about 45% of children ages 12-17 are fully vaccinated, WTTG reported.<\/p>\n