School parents in RJ make a petition against mandatory vaccination

Parents of students at Escola Americana, in Rio de Janeiro, made a petition last weekend against the school’s decision to require students from 5 years of age to be vaccinated against Covid-19. The information was released by columnist Lauro Jardim, from O Globo, and confirmed by leaf.

On Friday (7), the school board sent parents a circular stating that, given the inclusion of children aged 5 to 11 years in the National Vaccination Plan, proof of immunization for this group would be required for classes. face-to-face at school.

“All staff at Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro are fully vaccinated against Covid, as are students aged 12 to 18 who have face-to-face classes. We now look forward to extending the same protection to Lower School students [escola primária]”, says the statement.

Even in the face of the new wave of transmission with the omicron variant, some parents reacted against the direction’s determination and created a petition entitled “Stop Mandatory COVID Vaccination at EARJ”.

As of Tuesday afternoon (11), 280 people had signed the document. On its website, the school reports that it has more than 1,200 students. According to a survey by Forbes magazine, the monthly fee for high school exceeds R$ 8,000.

The undersigned states that mandatory vaccination is a “complex and polarized” issue and that, therefore, it should be a parental responsibility. The text says that the school board does not have the “moral right or medical competence” to demand immunization.

“As is happening in most places around the world, the ministries of health and education, the only bodies competent to make the vaccine mandatory for children, are not requiring children to be vaccinated against Covid-19, as a condition of maintaining a life. normal life or attend school,” the petition states.

The document also says that so far only the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for children, which would limit parents’ right to choose which immunizer to administer to their children.

“Please sign this petition if you want the EARJ board to know that you, and you alone, should have control over medical decisions relating to your children, and that recent guidelines should be repealed.”

Lawyer Paula Las Heras Andrade, in favor of vaccination, has two stepdaughters and a daughter enrolled at the institution, aged 9, 10 and 14.

Andrade says that the petition worries her because she believes it is important to maintain a healthy environment, with everyone vaccinated, guaranteeing the school’s independence and freedom of decision.

“The institution itself is also free to make this choice [exigir a vacinação]. What would be the reason for a plot not to be [vacinada], when the whole group is?”.

Sought, the press office of the American School said that it would not position itself on the case.