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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Tuesday night, the Cambridge School Committee approved a COVID vaccine mandate for students 12 years and older in a 6-1 vote.
The committee said students younger than that will be expected to get vaccinated when a vaccine has been approved for their age group.
Cambridge Public School students have until November 22nd to get the shots.
According to the proposal, the mandate is not meant to exclude students from going to school, but any child that does not get the vaccine within a week of the deadline will be limited in activities. Unvaccinated students won't be able to participate in many co-curriculars such as athletics, student government, performing arts, and other school social events.
In the open forum portion of the meeting, there were parents who voiced their concerns about the mandate. One said that this mandate would be "open discrimination against kids who don't get an experimental vaccine."
Read More: Massachusetts Preparing For Youth Vaccine Campaign
Cambridge Superintendent Victoria Greer said in the proposal, “We cannot sit by and let the virus destroy the futures of our young people who have already experienced such a negative impact on their academic, social and emotional development.”
The decision makes Cambridge the largest school district in Massachusetts to move forward on a mandate thus far, with only Amherst-Pelham Regional School District made the decision last month, according to the Boston Globe.
The Food and Drug Administration approved the COVID vaccine under an emergency use authorization for 12-to-15-year-olds and is still awaiting full approval. The FDA fully approved vaccinations for people 16 and older this past summer.
WBZ NewsRadio's Drew Moholland (@DrewWBZ) reports.
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