The Votes Are In!
2024 Readers' Choice is back, bigger and better than ever!
View Winners → Education Oct 09, 2021
Photo courtesy of Christian Emmer/emmer.com.ar
by
share with
A parent of a 12-year-old student at the Science Academy STEM Magnet school filed court papers challenging the Los Angeles Unified School District’s mandate that all students aged 12 and older be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by Jan. 10 to enter campus unless they have a medical or other exemption.
The plaintiff is identified only as G.F. in the still unofficial Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit brought Friday on behalf of the parent and the student, who is identified only as D.F. The court papers state that the student is male, but do not indicate whether the parent is his father or mother.
The Science Academy STEM Magnet school, located in North Hollywood, is a seven-year, college-preparatory public school that incorporates science, technology, engineering and mathematics. G.F.’s court papers state that D.F. studied hard to pass the entrance exam to be admitted to the school and does not want to have to leave because he and his parent choose to not have him receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Losing his spot at the school would devastate D.F. and potentially foreclose future educational opportunities,” G.F’s court papers state.
Coronavirus cases in the LAUSD have declined since teachers and children returned to in-person instruction in August, G.F.’s court papers state. In addition, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control has found that children with the coronavirus have mild symptoms or none at all and that they rarely spread the virus, according to the court papers.
Healthy children who have a natural immunity to COVID-19 and have not received the vaccine should not be discriminated against by the LAUSD, G.F.’s court papers state. In addition, keeping healthy children out of the classroom is contrary to state law and the students affected will not be able to make up for lost in-person learning, according to G.F.’s court papers.
D.F., who has received all other required childhood immunizations, will suffer irreparable harm if not allowed to continue with his in-person learning and his two extra-curricular activities, G.F.’s court papers state.
G.F. presented a notice to the LAUSD on Sept. 24 demanding that the vaccine mandate be rescinded, but the district did not respond, according to G.F.’s court papers.
