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Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Are children legally required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to go back to school?

By Austin Tannenbaum
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NO

There is currently no federal law requiring children to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before returning to school.

While all 50 states have the power to mandate vaccines for children wishing to attend a K-12 public school, no state currently requires children to receive a COVID-19 vaccine for school entry. A law professor specializing in school-mandated vaccines doubts that any state legislature will push for such a measure this year given that “it takes political capital, and my bet is that legislators will not even try until they can do it for children aged 5 and up.”

In May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved COVID-19 vaccines for children 12 and older. Trials are ongoing for children younger than 12.

A consultant helping with school vaccination efforts told CNBC that “this is going to be a school district by school district decision.”

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
National Conference of State Legislatures School vaccine requirements and exemptions
Reuters US schools unlikely to mandate COVID-19 vaccines anytime soon
Healthline When can children under 12 get the COVID-19 vaccine? What to know now
CNBC Will your child’s school mandate COVID vaccinations?
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.