Student Vaccine FAQs

Under a vaccine mandate approved by the Board of Education, San Diego Unified will require students who are 16 and older as of November 1, 2021 and who wish to continue learning in-person to be fully vaccinated, effective January 24, 2022 at the start of the new semester/quarter.

To meet these mandate requirements, it is recommended that students receive their first dose of the fully FDA approved Pfizer vaccine no later than November 29, 2021 in order to receive their second dose by December 20, 2021, which will allow for peak immunity to be reached before returning to school from the winter break on January 4, 2022.

It is advised that all students receive their first and second COVID-19 vaccines prior to January 4, 2022 in order to submit full documentation by January 3, 2022 and avoid conditional in-school enrollment or alternatives to in-school education.

There have been preventable COVID-19 outbreaks and cases during this global pandemic. Since the pandemic began, 1 in 500 Americans have died of COVID-19. You may view our District case rate here.

The Federal Drug Administration recently fully approved COVID-19 vaccination for children 16 years and older.

“Fully-vaccinated” refers to an individual who has received the first and second doses of the vaccine (or, in the case of Johnson & Johnson, the single required dose) and has completed the two-week period that follows to ensure maximum immunity.

There are no plans to mandate boosters at this time. However, District policy may be updated in the future. Similarly State vaccine policy, which also does not address boosters or annual vaccinations for COVID-19, may also be updated in the future.

We do give families the opportunity for a medical exemption if there is a condition that prevents the child from safely receiving a vaccine. If there is no medical exemption, that child will be given the option to participate in alternative forms of education and will not be eligible for onsite education beginning January 24, 2022.

Anyone with a history of immediate allergic reaction of any severity to any component of the COVID-19 vaccine (or to polysorbate or polyethylene glycol), should not be vaccinated and can qualify for a medical exemption, as long as District medical exemption protocols are followed. Polysorbate is not a vaccine ingredient but was included because people sensitive to it may also react to polyethylene glycol, which is a component. The CDC advises that people with allergy histories that involve polysorbate or polyethylene glycol should be considered for allergist or immunologist referral in order to determine if they can receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

As for highly-allergic individuals who have experienced severe allergic reactions to other substances that are not present in the COVID-19 vaccine, this vaccine is well tolerated and causes no allergic reactions in 98% of cases. Consultation with their physician is advised. Those who feel they may qualify for a medical exemption need to complete the Medical Exemption Request form and submit to Immunizations@sandi.net

Only if that student has a documented exemption. Weekly testing as an option for those who are not vaccinated is reserved for: (1) students at an age where there is not full FDA approval for the COVID-19 vaccine (i.e., the vaccine has only received Emergency Use Authorization) and the student attends a school where the vaccine mandate is in effect (i.e., high schools), and (2) students who have district-approved exemptions or extensions.

Students enrolled in Special Education are strongly encouraged to be vaccinated. Having a special educational need or a special health care need is not associated with a higher rate of adverse vaccine outcomes. In fact, health conditions associated with some students in Special Education put them at higher risk for severe COVID-19 disease, making the vaccine that much more important.

Federal laws guarantee that Special Education services are always available so students with an active IEP may qualify for an exemption from a mandated vaccine. These students are required to submit the COVID-19 vaccine exemption under IEP form provided by the District (link). Once the student exits their IEP, the student will be required to receive a COVID-19 vaccination to remain in onsite education. Submit the completed form to Immunizations@sandi.net

Children who turn age 16 by November 1, 2021 and are newly enrolling in a San Diego Unified School and experiencing homelessness, migrant status, in the foster care system, or in a military family, qualify for conditional admissions and are allowed to enroll in onsite learning and are given 30 days to comply with the immunization requirement. The family is asked to email immunizations@sandi.net as soon as they find their record or receive a vaccine. Note that a conditional admission is not an exemption, and a recurring effort is made by the school nursing team to support the child and family to access their records or receive a vaccination in a timely manner.

Students qualifying for an Exemption and participating in onsite education will need to comply with all non-pharmaceutical interventions (e.g., face coverings, regular asymptomatic testing) for unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals as a condition of onsite education at any San Diego Unified School District location. District offers testing at the following location District Location Testing Sites

The district will organize communications (notifications by email and other media) to parents that their students require vaccinations to remain in school after the next semester starts. The information provided to parents will encourage them to submit evidence of vaccination and provide them with useful information of how and where to get their child vaccinated. Students will be able to remain in school until the next semester/quarter starts January 24, 2022.

That student will be able to enroll in onsite education but the onsite enrollment will be a conditional onsite enrollment and the student must receive the second dose within the appropriate time frame.

Students who do not get vaccinated will be allowed to stay in school through the end of the first semester. Those students will be given an opportunity to get vaccinated up through January 23, 2022. After that date, and for the remainder of the second semester starting January 24, 2022, they will not be allowed on campus and will be enrolled in or given options for independent learning opportunities.

Yes, they can finish off the semester or quarter through January 1, 2022.

After January 21, 2022, your child will not be permitted to participate in in-person extracurricular activities without proof of vaccination if they qualify to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Extracurricular activity is a program that takes place outside of the instructional day that is supervised or financed by the District where students represent the school/district.

The district is working on ways to access immunization registries for the most up-to-date information. For students who received their vacations outside of San Diego County, the State of California, or in other countries, please email your vaccination record to immunizations@sandi.net

As with other mandated vaccines and other nurse functions, site nurses have support of program nurses and cluster nurse leaders, health technicians, as well as non-health school site administrative staff (e.g., those who assist with student registration).

The district will verify student vaccination status through an electronic process from the San Diego Immunization Registry similar to how we track all other vaccines. Students who were vaccinated outside of San Diego County will need to send a copy of their immunization record to Immunizations@sandi.net

Acceptable proof includes any of the following: CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card (White Card), World Health Organization Vaccine Record Card (Yellow Card), documentation of vaccination from a healthcare provider or entity that provided the COVID-19 vaccines, or a California Immunization Registry Vaccination Record. The name on the document must match the individual's name.

If a student has lost their vaccine record, and were vaccinated in California, they can get a digital record at https://myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov

If a student got vaccinated in another country, please submit the vaccination record to immunizations@sandi.net for verification. Only international vaccines recognized by the World Health organization will be accepted. A current list of those vaccines is here.

No.

Yes. Starting in January 2022 only those students who are not fully vaccinated will be required to test.

School-based health centers have been offering vaccines and are expected to continue to do so. In addition, The District intends to seek partnerships with health agencies that can offer COVID-19 vaccinations, particularly where vaccine access is otherwise difficult. Vaccine availability at school sites and elsewhere (Times/Dates/Location for COVID-19 Vaccine) will be publicized by the District Communications department on district websites and other media. Note that parental consent is needed for all students under age 18 years to receive a vaccine. Students can also access a free COVID-19 vaccine through their primary care provider or myturn.ca.gov.

The COVID-19 vaccine is available to all at no cost, regardless of insurance or immigration status.

It is always advisable to discuss these issues with your child’s own primary care provider. Also, the District has a “Frequently Asked Questions” page that addresses medical safety and vaccine effectiveness, called: “Medical Safety of Vaccines and Confronting Misinformation”

Students who are 16 as of November 1, 2021 will be required to fulfill the vaccine requirement for January 4, 2022. Newly eligible students who turn age 16 after November 1, 2021 will be required to be vaccinated before the start of the new school year Fall 2022.

While getting COVID-19 may offer some natural immunity from reinfection, it is not clear how long the immunity lasts. Because your child can still get reinfected with COVID-19 and have medical complications, the CDC recommends that those who have had COVID-19 get the COVID-19 vaccine. If your child received monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19, it is recommended to wait 90 days before getting vaccinated. For this and any other medical issues please submit the medical exemption form.

No. As with other immunizations for students, state law does not recognize religious or personal belief exemptions.

A qualified exemption includes a medical exemption. Students may be conditionally admitted if they are new enrollees to the district and are in one of these groups: foster youth, homeless, migrant, military family, or have an IEP. State law does not recognize religious or personal belief exemptions for student immunizations.

Once the medical exemption request has been emailed to immunizations@sandi.net, you will get a confirmation email back showing receipt of the documents. Nursing staff will review the submission and a follow up email will be sent once a decision has been made.

Parents can get the Student Vaccine Exemption form here or they can also request it from their school site. The form must be submitted to the email immunizations@sandi.net in order to be reviewed. An email notification confirming submission of the exemption form and the status of the review process will be sent to the parents/guardians making the request. Additionally, the parents/guardians will receive an email communication confirming the exemption approval or indicating that further attention is required