Sacramento City Unified joins districts requiring vaccinations for students, staff

Sacramento City Unified became the latest California school district to mandate Covid-19 vaccinations for its staff and students Tuesday night.

The district of nearly 48,000 students joins Culver City Unified, West Contra Costa Unified, Oakland Unified, Piedmont Unified, San Diego Unified and Los Angeles Unified in requiring vaccines for eligible students and staff ahead of the state mandate that begins next summer.

The district will require all students age 12 and older to receive the vaccination as a condition of being on campus. Those who aren’t willing to be vaccinated will have to enroll in the district’s independent study program.

Currently, only the Pfizer vaccine is fully approved for those 16 and older. The Pfizer vaccine also has emergency authorization for use in children between the ages of 12 and 16.

“A vaccine requirement is the path forward to keeping our schools open and increasing immunity,” said Superintendent Jorge Aguilar. “As superintendent of Sac City Unified, I wake up every morning feeling the anxieties caused by this unprecedented pandemic and its threat to meeting the academic, social, emotional, nutritional and other needs of our students. For so many of our students, schools are their safe haven, and I thank the board for their approval of this resolution based on our commitment to meeting those student needs.”

The school board voted to require all eligible students and staff to show proof of vaccination, either first or second dose, by Nov. 30.