Halbert Calls for Vaccine Mandate and On-Site Clinics at Boston Schools to Protect All Students
Urges other candidates to also stand up for the health and well-being of Boston's youth
BOSTON – David Halbert, candidate for City Council At-Large, called for the Boston Public Schools to implement a vaccine mandate for all eligible students and faculty in accordance with current BPS vaccination policies, while pledging to work with the next Administration and the school department to set up on-site vaccine clinics at the city’s schools, providing families with the expanded access they need at this critical time in the pandemic.
“Every single child in Boston deserves access to high-quality schools in their own neighborhood,” said Halbert. “Now more than ever, we need to make sure each family in Boston has the resources and supports needed to recover from this pandemic, which continues to impact many families throughout our city. Making it easier for families to access the vaccine is a small but critical step to invest in the health and well-being of our kids and our overall community as we continue in our ongoing health and economic recovery.”
Last month, David’s young daughter – a BPS student – contracted COVID-19 after an exposure at her school. Luckily, David’s daughter’s case was mild and no one else in his family came down with the virus. Out of an abundance of caution, David took time to fully quarantine – taking himself off the campaign trail and keeping a safe distance from his friends and loved ones.
“Our family, like so many others, works hard to protect ourselves and our community from the spread of COVID-19. Even with all the necessary precautions, COVID came knocking on our door,” continued David. “We should be taking every step we can to protect those too young to be vaccinated and those who have an increased risk of developing severe health complications from the virus – and that first step is working to get a vaccination to every single eligible member of our schools.”
To date, the City of Boston has had over 83,000 confirmed cases and over 1,450 deaths caused by COVID-19. In addition to the sobering toll it has had on the health of the city’s residents, the pandemic has hit the community with widespread impacts, including devastating economic and emotional crises, while deepening the grave disparities that many families face everyday in the City.
Since they opened their doors on September 13, nearly 250 BPS students and district staff have tested positive for COVID-19.
“We were very lucky to have the time and resources to help our little girl recover from the virus, but many families aren’t so lucky,” continued Halbert. “Our families and neighbors have been through enough with this pandemic. Many do not have the time or luxury to spend time searching for vaccination appointments to keep their kids safe. Many cannot afford to take a day off of work once they do schedule that appointment. Anything we can do to ease the burden our families continue to shoulder during these unprecedented times should be a priority of each of the City’s elected leaders.”
Halbert is the only candidate in the race who has declared that making on-site vaccine access for BPS students and faculty would be an immediate priority. Today’s announcement is the latest step in his strong agenda to bring educational equity and justice to all neighborhoods and families in the city. Other key components of Halbert’s comprehensive education plan include:
- Giving Students & Families a Voice. We must hold the Boston School Committee accountable to families and students by shifting to a hybrid Elected-Appointed Model, and we must elevate the student School Committee representative to a full voting member with stipend. Bring School Committee meetings directly to Boston’s neighborhoods so students, parents, and residents have more opportunity to have their voices heard.
- Investing in Our Children’s Futures. As a city, our budget and our policy priorities should reflect the value of education and the opportunities it can provide. We need to allocate baseline foundational funding to all Boston Public Schools, and invest in programs that set children up for success after high school graduation. We must recognize vocational education as the practical tool for meeting Boston’s challenges that it is, and invest in Madison Park to make it a national leader in green vocational technical education. I’ll also propose a municipal workforce co-op training program for Boston’s high schools, to give students access to real-world experiences before they graduate.
Earlier in the campaign, the Boston Teachers Union – which represents the school system’s 10,000 teachers, other non-administrative, professional employees, paraprofessionals, and substitute teachers – endorsed Halbert in his bid for At-Large.
Click here to watch a video of David Halbert discussing just how important education justice is to him as a candidate and as a father. David’s full plan for bringing education justice to all neighborhoods in the city can be found here.
