California parents hold statewide 'sit-out' to protest vaccine mandate for kids: 'Incredible overreach'
Two California mothers on Monday sent a message to Gov. Gavin Newsom amid a statewide school "sit-out" to protest the vaccine mandate for their children.
"This represents, across the entire state of California, parents’ opposition to being mandated to vaccinate their children in exchange for in-person learning," Laura Sextro told "Fox & Friends,"explaining why she's keeping her child home from school for a day in protest.
"This is a demonstration of our opposition to the vax mandate as it applies to children K through 12."
Sextro explained further that the vaccine mandate is an "overreach." The mask and vaccine mandates and teaching of critical race theory are galvanizing parents across the state, she added.
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"I think this is the intersection point that brings parents together across the entire political spectrum, across the religious spectrum."
California became the first state to mandate vaccinations or coronavirus testing for eligible children to attend in-person classes at public and private schools after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the requirement on Oct. 1. Students who don’t comply will be required to do an independent study. There are medical and personal belief exemptions.
News about the planned protest has spread on social media, with organizers suggesting that parents pull their children out of school and that teachers and staff who support the protest stay home.
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Newsom's plan would require students older than 12 to receive the coronavirus vaccine in order to be able to attend class. This step would add the COVID-19 vaccine to the required list of childhood vaccinations required to attend school.
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