Blaz: Won’t make kids get vaccine

The city is launching a major push to get more adolescents vaccinated but Mayor de Blasio said on Wednesday that vaccines would not be mandatory for students returning to school next month.

Touting the “Vax to School” push, the mayor called the effort a cornerstone of getting kids safely back to physical classrooms in the nation’s largest public school district.

“We want people to feel this is the moment for kids to get vaccinated,” de Blasio said.

But de Blasio said vaccines would not be mandatory for public school students returning to in-person classrooms.

“We do not anticipate [students] having to show proof [of vaccination],” the mayor said.

De Blasio dodged questions about whether teachers would be required to be vaccinated, like schools in Chicago and Los Angeles have done.

He cited ongoing “conversations” with the teachers union and refused to even give his own opinion about whether teachers should be ordered to get vaccinated, claiming that he does not “tend to just opine” about such issues.

The debate over possible vaccine mandates for students and school employees has become sharper in recent days since the city launched its mandate for indoor dining and other venues like bars, gyms, movie theaters and concert halls.

Students younger than 12 are not yet eligible to be vaccinated, meaning they could be vulnerable to the spread of the virus from unvaccinated older students, teachers or school workers in indoor classrooms.

School-age students are already required to show proof of vaccinations for other diseases like measles, mumps and chickenpox.

So far, city officials have made 250,000 phone calls to parents of public school students ages 12 and up who are eligible to receive the vaccine.

They plan to ramp up the effort significantly as the first day for public schools starts on Sept. 13.

Hizzoner said adolescents are often less resistant to getting vaccinated against COVID than adults because they are aware that not being protected could lead to them being barred from activities.

“Young people get it,” de Blasio said. “They’re saying they want to be protected. They want to be able to fully participate.”