Update: The D.C. Council on Tuesday voted to pass a bill that would mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for students in the District.

The bill passed 11-1-0, with Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White voting present, and Ward 7 Councilmember Vincent Gray absent.

Original:

The D.C. Council on Tuesday advanced a measure that would mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for students.

The proposal, which passed 11-1, would require students eligible for a coronavirus vaccine that is fully approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, get inoculated by March 1. The bill, which also requires workers in childcare centers get vaccinated, must face a second vote by the Council.

“We know one of the most effective tools we have to fight the spread of COVID-19 and protect our early childcare center communities as well as our school communities is vaccinations,” said At-Large Councilmember Christina Henderson, who introduced the bill.

If passed, the vast majority of schoolchildren likely would not have to receive the vaccine until the 2022-2023 academic year, when schools would be required to enforce the mandate.

The Pfizer vaccine is also only currently approved for people at least 16 years old. Younger students will not be required to be vaccinated until after the FDA fully approves shots for their age groups – currently children between 5 and 15 years old are eligible for the vaccine under an emergency authorization.

Students in public schools – traditional and charter – as well as independent, private and parochial schools would not be allowed to attend school until they are vaccinated, or have received a medical or religious exemption.

An earlier version of the measure would have required students to get vaccinated this month. But education leaders and several community members objected to that timeline during an October public hearing, arguing students who do not meet the deadline could face missing school.

A report by the Council Office of Racial Equity, which assesses how legislation can benefit or hurt groups of people that have historically faced discrimination, found the measure could exacerbate racial inequities by disproportionately removing Black students from school.

Black children in the District have received the coronavirus vaccine at far lower rates than Hispanic, Asian and white children, according to data from D.C. Health.

Thirty percent of Black children between 12 and 15 years old in the District are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. That’s compared to 73% of Latino children,  66% of Asian children and 55% of white children in the same age group.

“The bill does not address the underlying causes and structural barriers to equitable vaccine coverage, ensure a robust rollout plan, or target resources in new and creative ways,” the report says. “Instead, the bill puts the onus solely on families.”

Lawmakers said pushing the deadline to next year will give parents time to get their children vaccinated and allow schools to prepare.

D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said the legislators will schedule a hearing in the spring to learn what Mayor Muriel Bowser’s administration is doing to increase vaccination rates on campuses.

“That’s the goal — 100% of kids are vaccinated, not 20% of kids are thrown out of school,” he said.

The mandate would add to the list of vaccines D.C. already requires for students to attend school, which include immunizations for measles, polio and chickenpox.

The city requires the COVID-19 vaccine for government employees, including teachers and other school workers. Students 12 and older must already get vaccinated against the coronavirus if they play sports.

Councilmember Trayon White, who represents Ward 8, voted against the vaccine requirement. Vince Gray, who represents Ward 7, did not attend the meeting after suffering a minor stroke over the weekend.