A new bill in the D.C. Council would require all students eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine to be fully vaccinated by December 15. The bill was introduced today with the support of 8 of the 13 council members, indicating it is likely to pass.

“We know that as the pandemic rages on that vaccinations are one of the best tools we have to keep our community safe and to keep kids in schools,” said Councilmember Christina Henderson, who introduced the bill, in an interview with DCist. “Vaccine mandates have worked in the past, in terms of helping to stamp out rising cases of certain diseases like measles and mumps.”

D.C. would be among the first places in the country to mandate the vaccine for students. Los Angeles enacted a vaccine requirement for students 12 and older in September, the first large school system to do so. California also now has a statewide student vaccine mandate, but it will likely not take effect until next fall.

Henderson said if D.C. implements the mandate, it won’t be an outlier for long. “Everybody is waiting for somebody to pull the trigger to go first.”

The D.C. mandate would apply to all students in public, public charter, independent, private, and parochial schools, though there would be exceptions for religious and medical reasons. The legislation also aims to streamline the paperwork process by requiring doctors to submit immunization records electronically directly to public health officials.

The bill would also require childcare workers to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Currently, just over 40% of D.C. children ages 12-17 have been fully vaccinated, compared to nearly 60% of the general population. Children under 12 are not yet eligible for the vaccine, though federal officials have said emergency authorization of the Pfizer vaccine for children 5 and older could come before the end of October.

In addition to Henderson, five other council members signed on to introduce the bill: Brianne Nadeau (Ward 1), Charles Allen (Ward 6), Elissa Silverman (At-large), Mary Cheh (Ward 3), and Janeese Lewis George (Ward 4). After the legislation was introduced, Henderson said Brooke Pinto (Ward 2) and Chairman Phil Mendelson also decided to sign on.

Elsewhere in the D.C. region, numerous jurisdictions have policies requiring COVID vaccinations to participate in sports or other high risk activities. The District would be the first in the area to mandate the vaccine for all eligible students.

Henderson said the vaccines have been demonstrated to be safe and effective, and that the benefits outweigh the risks to children.

“We’ve had vaccine mandates in this country for decades,” said Henderson. “It’s been upheld in the courts and we’ve done this in the name of public health, in the name of protecting community.”

Her bill she said, simply adds the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of immunizations already required for children to attend school.