D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Forcing Students to Get Covid Vaccine in Order to Continue Utilizing Public Schools

On today’s episode of “Are You Kidding Me. . .”

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser will not be allowing unvaccinated students to attend public schools for the 2022-2023 academic year. There will also be no virtual offerings available for unvaccinated students.

According to Townhall:

For the 2022-2023 school year, which is this upcoming Monday, all D.C; students and staff will be required to provide proof of vaccination against the virus for the first day of school. There will be no alternative options, including virtual learning, for students who don’t comply within the first 20 days. 

The announcement is blasted on the official District of Columbia Public Schools website, along with pictures of students in masks advertising the DCPS School Year 2022-2023 Calendar with the slogan “Learning Happens Here.”

The stringent requirements, with no alternatives, are especially concerning given the vaccination rate among black students. Black students made up 57 percent of the student body for the 2021-2022 school year. Hispanic students made up 21 percent for that year, while white students made up 17 percent. Further, 75 percent of students were considered “economically disadvantaged” and 45 percent were considered “at risk.” Keeping such students out of school doesn’t seem like a solution to improve those numbers. 

The Daily Signal’s Douglas Blair attended a press conference that Mayor Bowser gave earlier this month, during which he asked about her effectively denying unvaccinated students an education, given that 40 percent of black students are unvaccinated. Despite those numbers coming from D.C., Bowser dismissed his claim.

At what point are we going to realize that forcing people to do things is never an effective strategy? If these children have gone this long without the jab, then it’s likely because they don’t want it.

This time last year, they were handing out free junk in D.C. in an effort to get kids excited about the vaccine. The program included gift cards, AirPods, and drawings for weekly winners who received iPads and $25,000 college scholarships. Did it convince people to vaccinate their kids? Nope.

They couldn’t bribe you, so now they’re going to punish you. No vaccine? No public education (that’s paid for with your tax dollars).

This affects minority children more than anyone else. That concerns people with consciences, but to politicians these things only matter when it’s time to cast votes.

Bowser has an election to win in November. I’m not exactly sure how she thinks denying minority students the right to a public education over vaccination status is a winning strategy, but I’m no campaign manager. . .

Maybe I would have a little more understanding (but not much) for these harsh policies if she had actually followed her own pandemic guidelines, but she didn’t.

I’ve voiced my opinion regarding the vaccine many times: If you want it, take it. If you don’t want it, then you shouldn’t be forced to get it.

We have to allow people to make the decision that they feel is best for them and their families. That’s the American way.

They shouldn’t be punished for what someone else sees as the “wrong decision,” and we certainly shouldn’t exclude them from public resources that they pay for.

Threats will incentivize few, if any, to run out and get the vaccine. For those who are unable to transition to private schools or homeschooling, this will likely mark the end of their academic career. Nobody seems terribly concerned about the 3 million students that “disappeared” from schools when Covid started. Why would they start to care now?

Could we go one day without something really dumb happening, or has that ship already sailed?