Alberta MLA and Minister of Education Adriana LaGrange has penned an open letter reiterating her position and commitment to providing children access to education regardless of their vaccination status.
“We know that vaccines are a safe and effective means of protecting Albertans from COVID-19 — and saving lives,” LaGrange begins. “That is why on October 5, I signed a joint public letter with the Minister of Health strongly encouraging all school authorities to develop policies that require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for teachers, staff, and any adult who enters a school.”
All students deserve access to education, regardless of their immunization status.
As COVID-19 vaccines become available for younger children, I expect school authorities to continue to provide students with a quality education.
Read my open letter to school authorities below. pic.twitter.com/wogZTTmYhg
— Adriana LaGrange (@AdrianaLaGrange) November 17, 2021
She explains that, though she encouraged the accessibility of vaccines for students in Grades 7 to 12, she has no intention of mandating them as a precondition for attending classes.
LaGrange’s comments come as the government moves to lower the age requirement for receiving the COVID vaccine from 12 to 5, even though there is even less of a risk from COVID for this age group — indeed, an utterly negligible risk.
“I am aware that COVID-19 vaccines might soon be approved for children aged 5-11,” LaGrange continues. “While I have always strongly encouraged everyone who is eligible to receive their COVID-19 vaccine, I must reiterate that every child in Alberta is entitled to have access to an education program as per the Section 3(1) of the Education Act…”
“To be clear, there is no legislation in Alberta that requires K-12 students to have specific vaccinations to attend in person school, nor is Alberta Education considering mandating vaccines of any kind for students in the K-12 education system.”
“As Minister of Education,” LaGrange writes, “I take very seriously the responsibility of providing access to education for all students in our province. School authorities cannot deny their students access to education due to their immunization status.”
LaGrange further states that vaccination is a choice that should be respected and left up to individual families.
