Back to School: Local districts not considering vaccine mandate for students

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC)— It’s a question a lot of parents are wondering, will your child be required to get the COVID vaccine to go to school?

As of Tuesday morning, the short answer is no, at least here in Monroe County.

News10NBC reached out to the head of the county’s Council of School Superintendents Bo Wright who says right now local school districts are not considering a vaccine mandate for your kids.

The vaccines only have emergency use authorization for people 12 and up, though the FDA has given full approval to the Pfizer vaccine for people 16 years of age and older.

As for teachers and staff, the Rochester City School District became the first district in the Rochester area to implement a vaccine policy, though it does allow employees to choose weekly testing instead of getting the shot. New York City implemented a vaccine mandate for its public school teachers.

The State University of New York will require students on its campuses to be vaccinated after the FDA approval.

Click here to find a state-run vaccine site near you. Click here for all of your Back to School stories.