Subscribe
Advertisement
  • Subscribe To The Enterprise
  • Contact Us
Subscribe For $2.50/Month
Print Editions
The Enterprise
  • News
    • Local
    • Sports
    • Business
    • Education
    • Family
    • Community Calendar
    • Neighborhood News
    • State News
    • National News
  • Obituaries
  • Spiritual
    • Southern Baptist
    • Parabola
    • Transcendental Meditation
    • The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia
  • eEnterprise
  • Legals
  • Contact
  • Account
  • Login
  • FAQ
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Local
    • Sports
    • Business
    • Education
    • Family
    • Community Calendar
    • Neighborhood News
    • State News
    • National News
  • Obituaries
  • Spiritual
    • Southern Baptist
    • Parabola
    • Transcendental Meditation
    • The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia
  • eEnterprise
  • Legals
  • Contact
  • Account
  • Login
  • FAQ
No Result
View All Result
The Enterprise
No Result
View All Result

Virginia colleges and universities have authority to require student vaccines

Enterprise by Enterprise
April 28, 2021
in Local
0
0
SHARES
8
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
In an official opinion issued at the request of Del. Mark Keam, Attorney General Mark R. Herring concluded that Virginia colleges and universities “may condition in-person attendance on receipt of an approved COVID-19 vaccine during this time of pandemic.”

The opinion will help provide guidance for Virginia colleges and universities as they begin to make plans for next fall’s academic year with the goal of keeping their students, faculty, staff, and surrounding communities safe and healthy, according to a release from Herring.

“We have seen how crucial vaccinations will be for keeping the COVID-19 pandemic under control and putting us on a path towards normalcy,” said Herring. “Virginia’s college and university students deserve the chance to go to classes in-person and take advantage of all that their schools have to offer, but over the past year we have seen numerous COVID outbreaks on school campuses, so we must make sure that they are doing so with the health and safety of their peers and communities in mind.”

In his opinion, Herring details the various authorities in Virginia law that allow for vaccination requirements for certain circumstances and events.

First, he said “there is no question that the General Assembly could enact a statute requiring the COVID-19 vaccine for in-person school attendance.”

Herring also noted that the Commissioner of Health has “the power of ‘requiring immediate immunization of all persons in case of an epidemic of any disease of public health importance for which a vaccine exists other than a person to whose health the administration of a vaccine would be detrimental as certified in writing by a physician licensed to practice medicine in this Commonwealth.’”

Next, he determined that “Virginia’s colleges and universities may take steps to protect the health and welfare of their students by conditioning attendance in various activities or settings on receipt of an approve COVID-19 vaccine.”

Herring added the decision will remain “up to the individual institutions to determine whether requiring students to obtain the COVID-19 vaccination has a real or substantial relation to protecting public health and safety on their campus.”

Additionally, he noted “an institution’s board of visitors may require vaccinations as a condition of in-person attendance.”

Herring concluded that “Virginia’s state institutions of higher education, as defined in Title 23.1 of the Code of Virginia, may determine that in-person attendance in various activities or settings presents a risk to students or others, and that it may condition attendance upon being vaccinated. While it is my belief that our public colleges and universities may condition in-person attendance on receipt of an approved COVID-19 vaccine during this time of pandemic, it is not without complications and our public colleges and universities should be prepared to provide reasonable accommodations for medical conditions and/or religious objections. Any requirement of an approved COVID-19 vaccine during the pandemic should be formulated to best effectuate the public health and safety of the respective campuses.”

Sign up for our free newsletter

Enter your email address to join our weekly newsletter.

You will receive a confirmation email for your subscription. Please check your inbox and spam folder to complete the confirmation process.
Some fields are missing or incorrect!
Lists
Previous Post

American Rescue Plan funds tapped to expand nutrition assistance for seniors 

Next Post

Mayo Lake selected as outing location

Next Post
Ninth District race heats up as Williams issues debate challenge

Mayo Lake selected as outing location

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Sign up now to get weekly top stories, eEdition notifications, deals and more from The Enterprise right to your inbox.
  • Subscribe
  • Contact The Enterprise
  • eEnterprise
  • My Account

  • Login
Forgot Password?
Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.
body::-webkit-scrollbar { width: 7px; } body::-webkit-scrollbar-track { border-radius: 10px; background: #f0f0f0; } body::-webkit-scrollbar-thumb { border-radius: 50px; background: #dfdbdb }
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Local
    • Sports
    • Business
    • Education
    • Family
    • Community Calendar
    • Neighborhood News
    • State News
    • National News
  • Obituaries
  • Spiritual
    • Southern Baptist
    • Parabola
    • Transcendental Meditation
    • The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia
  • eEnterprise
  • Legals
  • Contact
  • Account
  • Login
  • FAQ