BOSTON (AP) – U.S. schools hoping to return to normal next fall weigh in on how far students should go to get the COVID-19 vaccine, including whether they should legally require it. -.
Recently, universities such as Rutgers, Brown, Cornell and Northeastern told students that they should be vaccinated before returning to campus next fall. They hope to achieve herd immunity on campus, which they say would allow them to loosen space restrictions in classrooms and bedrooms.
But some colleges leave the decision to students and others believe they cannot legally require immunizations. At Virginia Tech, officials determined they cannot do so because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has only allowed emergency use of vaccines and has not given them their full approval.
The issue arises as more universities plan to move from remote to face-to-face instruction. Many schools have started vaccination flashes to vaccinate students before they leave in the summer. In some schools, the added requirement is designed to encourage withdrawal and build confidence that students and teachers will be safe on campus.
“It removes any ambiguity about whether individuals should be vaccinated,” said Kenneth Henderson, chancellor at Northeastern University in Boston. “It also provides a level of confidence to the entire community that we are taking all appropriate action.”
Northeastern colleges and other universities in need of firing believe they are on solid legal ground. It’s not uncommon for colleges to require students to be vaccinated for other types of illnesses, and a California court last year upheld a flu vaccine requirement in the University of California system.
But legal scholars say the state of emergency use of COVID-19 vaccines is shifting the problem to a legal gray area that can likely be challenged in the courts, and some colleges may take a more prudent approach to avoiding it. litigated.
Harvard law professor Glenn Cohen, who teaches health and bioethics law classes, said there is no legal reason not to allow colleges to require COVID-19 vaccines. It makes no difference that the features have not been fully approved, he said, noting that many colleges already require students to take coronavirus tests approved under the same FDA emergency authorization. But there are also no federal guidelines that explicitly allow vaccination warrants.
Major clashes could take place in states that take a stand against vaccination requirements, he said.
In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis banned all businesses this month of requiring clients to demonstrate proof of vaccination. The order raises questions about New Southeastern University’s plan to require vaccination of students and staff. The college president said he still trusts the plan, but also promised to “respect the laws of our state and all federal directives.”
The governor of Texas, the second largest state in the country, issued a similar order.
There is a parallel debate over whether vaccination is required for teachers and staff, an issue that employers across the country face. At the University of Notre Dame, one of the last schools to require vaccinating students, traits are still optional for workers. Northeastern is considering whether to extend its mandate to employees.
Even in schools that make shooting mandatory, there are exceptions. Federal law requires schools to provide accommodation for students who reject a vaccine for medical reasons, and most schools also offer exemptions for religious reasons.
At Brown, students who drop out of the shooting and have no valid exemption must file a petition to study distance or take a leave of absence next fall, school president Christina Paxson told students last week.
But enforcing vaccine mandates will bring its own challenges. Cornell and Northeastern say students will be asked to prove proof of vaccination, but there is no widely accepted vaccine credential. Cornell told students they can provide the delivered card at their vaccination site, but the card formats vary and generally appear to be easy to forge.
In the Northeast, officials continue to decide whether students will be required to provide a medical record showing they have been vaccinated or whether they will be allowed to prove they have been vaccinated, essentially relying on their word.
“We would expect students to be honest and direct about any attestation they make in college,” Henderson said.
Northeastern student Tyler Lee said he believes requiring vaccinations is the right measure because it will help stop the spread of the virus and protect the community around the downtown Boston campus. There have been some setbacks from parents, but little from students, he said.
“It’s a Northeastern decision,” said Lee, a senior awaiting his second shot. “If I didn’t like it, I would move. And that’s what most students feel. “
Ariana Palomo, a freshman entering Brown, said the university’s mandate sends the message that it is seriously about protecting students. She was “happy and relieved” when she heard about it.
“I know I’ll feel much safer on campus,” Palomo, 18, said. “This is the next step to protect each other and prevent more lives from being lost.”
Schools are expecting some setbacks and groups of Republican students from some campuses have opposed the mandates, saying it should be an election.
Colleges also face what they can expect from international students, who may not have access to vaccines in their home countries or who may receive shots that are not used in the United States. Some colleges say they plan to develop arrangements for international students to come to photography.
Other universities use a lighter touch to promote traits, including Dickinson State University in North Dakota, which exempts students from a campus mask mandate two weeks after full vaccination.
Many others hope that one word of encouragement will suffice. Officials at Bowdoin College Maine’s campus said it is their “hope” that all students will be shot. Harvard University officials “strongly recommend” that students be vaccinated, but have failed to fulfill a mandate.
Some, including Dartmouth College, expect shots to be more available before making a decision. Diana Lawrence, a Dartmouth spokeswoman, said officials “cannot make a determination about the vaccination needed until the vaccines are accessible to all students.”
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Associated Press writer Lisa Rathke in Montpelier, Vermont, and P. Solomon Banda, in Jersey City, New Jersey, contributed to this report.