Arizona Senate GOP affirms state will ignore CDC guidance on K-12 COVID shot

(The Center Square) – Arizona will not require public school students to be vaccinated against coronavirus regardless of what the federal government suggests, a joint statement from the Arizona state Senate majority said.

Senate leadership noted that Governor Doug Ducey signed HB 2086 into law last May. Among other things, the bill says that coronavirus vaccinations cannot be a requirement for school attendance in Arizona; the bill passed with Republican support in both chambers of the legislature.

“This is just another example of how out of touch the federal government and its agencies are with everyday families,” Senate President Karen Fann, R-Prescott, said in a press release. “With Republicans currently in control of our state government, we can promise that we will never subject Arizonans to the requirement of an experimental vaccine that has raised questions over long-term health implications.

Fann said that families should make the best decisions for themselves when it comes to coronavirus vaccines and that she doesn’t think that decision should prevent people from being able to send their children to school in the state.

“Injecting something into our bodies is a very personal choice and is one that families should have complete control over,” Fann said in the release.” Parents with children in schools should not be forced to subject their kids to an experimental vaccine as a condition of in-class instruction. Senate Republicans believe parents ultimately have the right to make medical decisions for their child, and we will not take away that freedom.”

Senate leadership released the statement in response to an Oct. 20 announcement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices updates to the 2023 childhood and adult immunization schedules recommend coronavirus vaccinations for people over six months old.

The Arizona Senate leadership release was put out on behalf of Fann; Majority Leader Rick Gray, R-Sun City; President Pro Tempore Vince Leach, R-Tucson; Majority Whip Sonny Borrelli, R-Lake Havasu City; and David Gowan, R-Sierra Vista.

*****
This article was published by The Center Square – Arizona and is reproduced with permission.