History has repeatedly shown that diseases and viruses pose a significant threat to society. Yet, last month in Tallahassee, state officials announced plans to eliminate vaccine mandates in public schools. This decision poses a serious risk to children’s health, as would The Benjamin School’s adapting its policies to match a subsequent school district-wide change.
Vaccines exist for good reason, and the impact of a repeal would be detrimental to the health of children across Florida. They are about saving lives and limiting exposure to disease. The World Health Organization estimates that vaccines have saved nearly 154 million people in fifty years alone. Imagine how many people never would’ve made it to graduation. Mandates, such as those requiring vaccines, are based on a statistical analysis of the benefits and harms, determining the benefit to society as a whole (or, on a smaller scale, to a school) versus the harms to a subset of individuals.
Additionally, with fewer people protected from these diseases, hospitals could fill with cases that should be preventable, creating a domino effect. A UCLA study shows that occupancy rates at medical centers nationwide have increased to around 75% since 2020. The motives of the politicians motioning for these changes are arguably the most insulting aspect of the potential repeal. Today’s political landscape shows that members of both parties drive their decisions based not on public well-being, but on posturing. There is no point in attacking others when one ultimately shares a common goal.
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Labado discussed the subject alongside Governor Ron DeSantis early last month. They announced on September 3 that a vote on repealing vaccine mandates for children in schools will take place. While some mandates are written into Florida state law and require a vote to be removed, those for chickenpox and hepatitis B are not.
As a private school, The Benjamin School can establish its own policies, except for those related to the COVID-19 vaccine requirements. It states that, “…immunizations must be in compliance with the State of Florida requirements.” Students must submit a Certificate of Immunization and or a Religious Exemption Form. However, the school’s policy is advised under a medical director as well as the Palm Beach County School District. This means that if the school district changes under state law, so will TBS.
Assistant Head of School Dr. Kristin Sheehan said, “Our medical director, Dr. Matese, will wait to see if there are any changes, and we will follow what they do.”
One can only hope and insist that lawmakers’ decisions are not made for ulterior motives, especially those driven by political grandstanding. The state, or worse, the school, would be sending itself back to the 1950s, when vaccines for polio, chickenpox, and hepatitis B did not exist.
