Abbott directing TEA, school superintendents not to mandate COVID shots for kids

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) — Texas Governor Greg Abbott is reminding Texas public schools that kids will not be forced to take COVID-19 shots as a requirement to go to school.

Governor Abbott sent a letter to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and other officials stating that Texas law overrides a recent recommendation by the Centers For Disease Control (CDC) that added the controversial vaccine to immunization schedules for school-aged children and adults.

Under an Executive Order, Governor Abbott allows Texas parents to opt out of the COVID shot, and he says this is so parents remain the primary decision-makers in the health of their children. The Texas Legislature has also given parents the right to pass on the COVID vaccine for reasons of conscience.

“Despite attempts at federal overreach into the health care decisions of Americans, in Texas we continue to honor and defend the freedom of parents to choose what is best for the health and well-being of their families,” reads the letter. “Regardless of what the CDC may suggest, in Texas, the COVID-19 vaccine remains voluntary. Texas schools shall not require students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine for any reason.”

The recent CDC recommendation does not create a federal vaccine mandate, but many schools rely on the agency’s guidance in formulating requirements to attend class.

But Governor Abbott says he is reaffirming his Executive Order prohibiting vaccine mandates and vaccine passports.

You can Governor Abbott’s letter to the TEA by clicking here.