The court's ruling immediately affects only San Diego Unified, but it could influence challenges to COVID-19 vaccine mandates in other school districts.
A judge struck down San Diego Unified School District’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate Monday, saying that the mandate conflicts with state law.
San Diego Unified officials could not be immediately reached for comment, and it’s unclear whether the district will appeal the ruling.The court’s ruling immediately affects only San Diego Unified, but it could have influence in challenges to COVID vaccine mandates that have been adopted by a handful of other California school districts.
The Legislature has written laws to mandate 10 vaccines for school attendance, ranging from smallpox to tuberculosis. The Legislature gave authority to the state public health department to mandate additional vaccines such as the COVID-19 vaccine, and the Legislature said such new vaccine requirements must allow for personal belief exemptions, Meyer wrote in his ruling.
Meyer’s tentative ruling is a win for Let Them Choose, an offshoot of the pro-choice and anti-mask parent group Let Them Breathe that sued San Diego Unified in October to strike down the district’s vaccine mandate. “This decision that school districts do not have authority to require the COVID-19 vaccine echoes statewide, and it shows that parents coming together in a grassroots movement to uphold our children’s rights is powerful and effective,” McKeeman said in a statement.