Thread by @SkinnerLyle

I agree with @DominicCardy view that there should be mandatory vaccination in schools. To do so, the Education and Public Health Acts needs to be amended to require mandatory vaccination of any students who can receive the covid-19 vaccine. Why? Let me explain #nbpoli /n

https://twitter.com/CBCNB/status/1428720472682815488

Presently only those students who are entering school for the first time have to show proof of immunization for a list of diseases outlined in Public Health regulations. There is a separate list for childcare operators #nbpoli /2

Currently the information of whether a student is vaccinated can only be requested by the school system if a child is attending for the 1st time. Early Childcare providers have it as a requirement for any children attending the facility /3

There is a loophole presently that the school or early childcare system cannot ask proof of vaccination for any student whose parent or legal guardian objects to the vaccination by signing a written form. The loophole should be reduced in scope but that is a different topic /4

The Education Act has a corresponding obligation for the superintendent to refuse admission of any student registering for the first time who does not show a proof of vaccination plus the medical + now defined objections for reasons of conscience or religion /5

There is considerable more flexibility under the Early Childhood Services Act as cabinet already has the delegated authority to make regulations respecting regulations which are found under the licensing regulations so that act doesn't need to be amended with 1 exception /6

The Public Health Act allows the Minister of Health to establish an immunization registry to contain information prescribed by regulation and any other information the Minister considers necessary. This is great as it allows flexibility! /7

From a drafting perspective, it is probably better for amendments related to a covid-19 requirement to be stand alone as they serve a different purpose than the current immunization scheme. Especially given Bill 11 which would have removed any objection loophole did not pass /8

The Assembly would pass a law to specifically target covid-19 to mitigate another mass disruption to the education system & protect. What happens to students or their parents (depending on age) who refuse to be vaccinated? Are objections for religious grounds ok? /8

For the regular proof of immunization program students who are not vaccinated against the list of diseases cannot enter the public school or childcare systems. For a mandatory covid vaccination, would students not be able to return to class, would there be a fine? Testing? /9

Bill 11 only permitted medical exemptions and would have resulted in the non admittance of any student currently in the system. Would the Assembly pass another version of this bill? Or is a targetted covid bill a better approach to get more buy-in? /10

Basically there are different policy approaches via amending the law and regulations. The key thing is the existing framework does not allow for Education to know the covid vaccination status of students due to Privacy Laws. Amendments enable info sharing. /11

The additional problem with adding Covid-19 vaccination to the immunization list is that it currently isn't authorized for children under the age of 12. Once authorization occurs, it simplifies things. However does education need to know ASAP for situational awareness? /12

Simply adding a Covid-19 requirement would mean new students couldn't enter unless they were 12 and older. Alternatively making it a requirement without giving the Minister the regulatory flexibility to set an age requirement causes issues. Thus a more tailored approach /13

For early childcare providers all changes can occur by regulation to apply to all children in the system except for the need to perhaps close the exemption loophole. Of course young children cannot be vaccinated so not presently an issue. /14

Putting my emergency management hat on, is important for education and public health to have better situational awareness on the vaccination rates in specific schools? Is it also important for all children to be vaccinated? Gov has a duty of care. This drives decision making /15

Feel free to let me know if I missed anything. I did not undertake a Charter analysis of this measure which is also important to do. In this case government needs to balance the objections to vaccination with public health concerns & duty of care for students /16