NEWS Apple Valley school board pushes back against state ...

NEWS

Apple Valley school board pushes back against state COVID-19 mandates

Rene Ray De La Cruz Victorville Daily Press

Published 3:45 p.m. PT Oct. 28, 2021

The Apple Valley Unified School District Board voted to stand firm against possible California COVID-19 mandates, and some parents shouted their approval.

During the special meeting on Monday, board trustees passed a resolution 5-0 stating that the school district would not implement vaccination requirements on students or school staff if imposed by the California Department of Public Health or local health officers.

The resolution pushes back against Gov. Gavin Newsom's Oct. 1 announcement which directs the health department to require a COVID-19 vaccination for all K-12 students. The requirement will take effect at the start of the term following full FDA approval of that grade span, either Jan. 1 or July 1.

Newsom's directive also includes a vaccine requirement for all K-12 school employees. A department of public health announcement in August instructs school staff to either show proof of full vaccination or be tested at least once per week.

"The Apple Valley Unified School District Board of Education believes that parental choice in vaccination and other health decisions is important," the district resolution states.

The school district board also requests state officials to work to provide "consistent and timely guidance" for schools to allow mask-wearing as an option during certain conditions.

The resolution requests state officials to restore local authority to Apple Valley Unified to create and implement its COVID-19 safety plans, including guidelines for masks, quarantines, vaccinations and the establishment of normal classroom instruction tailored to local conditions.

"Hopefully other school districts will follow suit and we can be the groundswell in California," board clerk Rick Roelle said during the meeting held at Granite Hills High

School Rogers- Evans Performing Arts Center.

June Kripal, who joined other parents at several school boards meeting to protest the COVID-19 mandates, told the Daily Press Wednesday that she applauds the school district's decision to fight against the state.

"When AVUSD decided to stand against the vaccine mandate and fight for all of its students, staff and teachers to have medical freedom, I felt a weight lift off me as I'm sure 1,000's of parents, students and teachers did also," Kripal said.

Kripal, whose son attends Granite Hills High School, said the state-issued mandates violate their rights.

"I am proud of AVUSD -- they made history Monday night," Kripal said. "I also am thankful and humbled by answered prayers. I feel they made the right decision. I know there will be many challenges ahead including legal, but we will support and fight side by side with them to preserve our rights."

Kripal said she, her husband, David, and their family physician decided that their son would not be vaccinated.

"He already had COVID and recovered with zero complications," Kripal said. "We were not willing to take the risk of adverse reactions or vaccine injury. If the school enforced the vaccine I would have pulled my son from the district and found alternative education."

Before closing the meeting, board President Maria Okpara thanked parents for their persistence in pushing against the state.

"I wish that I could step down and give each of you a hug but they want social distancing," Okpara said, as board members Dennis Bender, Wilson So and Christopher Nunez nodded in approval.

Roelle told the Daily Press on Tuesday that in his nearly 50 years of living in the High Desert, he's never seen such a large group that was so "concerned and upset."

"I don't blame people for getting upset. Newsom keeps pushing the envelope and it's driving people crazy," Roelle said. "And it's not just about the COVID-19 mandate in schools. People lose it when the government forces these mask and vaccine mandates on our kids while allowing open borders and not creating mandates for people crossing the border illegally, for members of congress or correctional officers."

Roelle said as a school board member, he was elected to support the people, even if it means "taking on Newsom, the state or the government."

For school districts, state rules on COVID-19 offer students choices, including wearing a mask at school and being vaccinated or refusing both and enrolling in a virtual independent study.

Beyond religious or medical exemptions, parents can also opt their kids out of getting vaccinated based on personal beliefs under the mandate.

Students between 12 and 15 are eligible to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine under emergency authorization. The COVID-19 vaccine has been fully approved by the FDA for those 16 and older.

Alex Stack, a spokesperson for Newsom, said in July that he could not answer whether the state would intervene if county health agencies approve district plans allowing unmasked students on campus in defiance of a state mandate, CalMatters reported.

Lucerne Valley Unified School District

The Lucerne Valley Unified School District Board in October declared its opposition to the state requiring COVID-19 vaccines for students and staff, the Daily Press reported.

Lucerne Valley Unified's five-member Board of Trustees voted unanimously to pass a resolution stating that mandatory COVID-19 vaccines for in-person schooling would be a "blatant and serious infringement of its students' fundamental rights," citing legal, ethical and medical principles for why it opposes enforcing such a move.

"LVUSD has operated in-person learning safely since August 20, 2020, without available vaccines for most of that time and without mandates," the resolution states.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz.

NEWS

LA County's Ferrer makes case for vaccinating younger kids against COVID-19

The county on Thursday reported another 20 COVID-19 deaths, lifting the county's overall death toll from throughout the pandemic to 26,598. Another 1,887 cases were reported, giving the county a pandemic total of 1,489,380.

L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer speaks at briefing on Wednesday, Sept. 1. Photo: Screenshot of Public Health briefing

By CITY NEWS SERVICE | news@ |

PUBLISHED: October 28, 2021 at 3:55 p.m. | UPDATED: October 28, 2021 at 3:56 p.m.

LOS ANGELES -- With federal officials likely to approve emergency use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for kids aged 5-11 in the coming days, Los Angeles County's public health director stressed on Thursday, Oct. 28, that children in that age group are susceptible to infection.

Barbara Ferrer also said the county will be ready to begin administering pediatric doses of the vaccine as soon as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issues an emergency use authorization, possibly as early as Wednesday.

Ferrer said the county will have about 150,000 doses of the vaccine on hand to begin administering the shots.

According to Ferrer, there have been more than 79,000 COVID cases during the pandemic among children aged 5-11 in the county, and one fatality. About 37,000 cases have occurred in kids up to age 4, also with one death, and more than 89,000 cases in those aged 12-17, with five deaths.

"Infection trends in children follow infection trends in adults, and after a recent drop in pediatric case numbers, we're now seeing a small plateau among case numbers," Ferrer said. "Over the week ending Oct. 10, 12% of L.A. County cases were in children aged 5-11, and children in this age group comprise 9% of the county's population."

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recommended approval this week of the vaccine for kids aged 5-11. It still needs the approval of the FDA, followed by an OK from a CDC advisory panel and finally the CDC director.

Ferrer said testing has shown the Pfizer pediatric vaccine is 90.7% effective, and there have been no reports of severe reactions among children in test groups.

Vaccines are currently available to all residents aged 12 and over. The Pfizer vaccine is the only one approved for kids aged 12-15, also under an emergency use authorization. Pfizer's vaccine has full approval for people aged 16 and older. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are available under an emergency use authorization for people 16 and older.

In Los Angeles County, 80% of residents aged 12 and older have received at least one dose of vaccine, while 72% are fully vaccinated, Ferrer said. Among the county's overall population of 10.3 million people, including those under age 12 who aren't yet eligible for the shots, 69% have received at least one dose, and 61% are fully vaccinated.

Black residents continue to have the lowest vaccination rates, with just 56% having received at least one dose. That compares with 64% of Latino/a residents, 74% of white residents and 83% of Asians.

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