School district asks governor to reconsider COVID-19 mandate

The Paradise Unified School District on Tuesday night unanimously passed a resolution asking for Gov. Gavin Newsom to reconsider his COVID-19 mandate that requires all educational employees to get the jab in order to maintain their employment.

Nine people spoke to the board including Paradise elearning teacher Mike Garcia to oppose the idea that employees and students would be required to be vaccinated in order to have in-person learning opportunities.

In his statement to the board, Garcia noted that Calaveras Unified School District recently passed a resolution saying it would not comply with the state’s order.

But the bulk of Garcia‘s statement to the board revolved around informed consent, which he argued is a fundamental medical principle being treated as if it doesn’t exist.

“It is being informed of the pluses and minuses of medical intervention,” Garcia said. “This applies to every medical intervention.”

He illustrated that point by pointing out if someone breaks their leg, and goes to a doctor they are advised of the potential impacts of getting or not getting a cast around that leg.

He added that consent is always freely given by the patient.

“If that consent is forced or mandated by telling staff they can’t come to work unless they consent to the medical intervention,” he said, “Or if parents are told that the kids can’t come to school unless the parents or kids consent to that medical intervention, it becomes consent under duress.”

He told the board that such an action is illegal and that the board should not engage in that behavior.

Nobody spoke in favor of the requirement, but among those speaking was Carrie Jenks Stratton who organized the parent- district meeting last week.

She told the board that the resolution was moving in “the right direction.”

She accused the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and playing on people’s fears while citing the CDC‘s numbers show that 99% of those between the ages of five and 17 recover from the virus.

She also addressed those who want the mandates by saying they are not trying to take away the rights of others to wear masks or get the vaccines.

“It’s up to the individual to protect themselves,” she said. “Quit putting the burden on our children to protect everyone around them.”

She asserted that children are not high risk and are not good vectors for the virus’ spread.

“Stop making them think like they are responsible for everyone around them,” she said. “Should they be mindful? Yes, but they are not responsible for their neighbor’s overall health?”

She said that she wanted the resolution to give children back their ability to be kids and parent’s choice to mask or unmask.

The order from Newsom announced Oct. 1 added the COVID-19 vaccination to other required vaccinations like measles, mumps and rubella.

Newsom’s order also said that any student who did not have an exemption approved could remain enrolled as an independent study student but could not go to school.

Educational employees who also failed to have an exemption granted would lose their jobs in the event that they did not get the vaccination.

According to the resolution, about 25% of Paradise’s certificated and classified staff are unvaccinated, and Newsom‘s order would create a further deficit in employees following the Camp Fire.

According to the resolution, the district has had trouble hiring employees due to the combined impacts of the fire and COVID-19, the resolution also notes that PUSD has 11 vacant positions that have yet to be filled despite advertising for those positions.

The resolution also expresses concern that the vaccine mandate will continue to cause disruption of educational services to a portion of students of the Ridge.

The resolution states that on Oct. 18, parents organized an effort to protest the vaccine requirement by keeping students out of school that day. According to the district, about 50% of the school’s students stayed home.

A second organized protest on Oct. 25 resulted in 25% of Paradise‘s students staying home.

The district said that resulted in a significant increase of the average daily absence rate of 7%.

In the resolution, the district also argues that it has been operating in person in a safe manner since November 2020 without such a vaccine mandate.