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Courtesy of Novavax, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
K12 Dive
Survey: 60% of parents would allow their K-12 student to get COVID-19 vaccine
Shawna De La Rosa
Jan. 4, 2021
Dive Brief:
In a survey by the National Parents Union, 60% of parents overall said
they would let their child receive a vaccine for COVID-19, while 25%
said they would not, and 15% reported they are unsure.
Parents with higher household incomes would be slightly more likely to
allow their K-12 student to receive a coronavirus vaccine, the December
survey found. Meanwhile, 75% of those surveyed who are Democrats said
they would allow their child to be vaccinated, compared to 56% of those
who are Republicans.
When asked what it would take for parents to send their children back
to in-person learning, 50% said they won’t sent them back until a
COVID-19 vaccine is available to the public. (Two vaccines were
authorized for emergency use in adults after the survey was conducted.)
In addition, 46% said schools must require anyone exposed to someone
who tested positive to stay home for 14 days, and 44% said schools need
to limit the number of students in common areas and maintain social
distancing.
Dive Insight:
As of Jan. 2, more than 4.2 million Americans — mostly healthcare
workers and the elderly — had received their first dose of a COVID-19
vaccine, but questions around who should be required to get the vaccine
are under debate.
Early in the development of the vaccines, many Americans also expressed
concerns over the speed of production. In a August/September national
poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation, 63% of respondents said they
would be willing to be inoculated with the rapidly developed vaccines.
The November/December version of the poll, on the other hand, showed
the number of those willing to be vaccinated rose to 71%.
Don Domenech, executive director of AASA, The School Superintendents
Association, told K-12 Dive he expects districts to mandate the
COVID-19 vaccine, but that the decision will likely be legally
challenged in some areas.
The percentage of students starting school with vaccine exemptions has
grown slightly over the past few years. According to the National
Conference of State Legislatures, while all 50 states have legislation
requiring student vaccinations, 45 states and the District of Columbia
grant religious exemptions for vaccines, along with some variations.
Fifteen states allow for exemptions based on moral or personal beliefs.
Only Maine, New York, West Virginia and California don’t allow for
religious, personal or other nonmedical exemptions.
A coronavirus vaccine authorized for children most likely won’t be
available during the 2020-21 school year, but when it's available,
schools may participate in distribution. Historically, schools have
played a significant role in vaccinating students during epidemics.
With this pandemic, however, schools are up against logistical issues
and lack of public trust. Plus, fewer than 40% of schools nationwide
have a full-time nurse on staff.
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