Capital Public Radio: Politifact California Podcast

By Sasha Hupka If Your Time Is Short: In recent weeks, several California school districts have announced that students over the age of 12 will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to attend school in person. Some districts, such as the Los Angeles Unified School District, will only accept medical exemptions to the shot, while others, like the Oakland Unified School District, will also offer personal belief exemptions. California for decades has required schoolchildren receive vaccines for a range of diseases from measles to mumps to chickenpox, but experts say it’s unclear whether districts can individually mandate vaccines under current state law.  California law allows the state Legislature and the department of public health to set vaccination requirements for schoolchildren but does not include a process for local school boards. Legal scholars expect that the mandates will be challenged in court. When the Culver City Unified School District announced in August it would require all eli