Many States Move to Ban Vaccine Mandates, Passports in Public Schools

As schools around America begin to prepare for reopening this fall, many states are taking steps to stop public schools from requiring COVID-19 vaccination or proof of vaccination.

At least seven states -- Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Montana, Oklahoma, and Utah -- have already passed such laws, while 34 more have introduced bills that would limit requiring someone to demonstrate their vaccination status, CNN reported.

In Alabama, Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law a bill that states that "institutions of education may continue to require a student to prove vaccination status as a condition of attendance only for the specific vaccines that were already required by the institution as of Jan. 1, 2021," a measure that would exclude COVID-19 vaccines.

In Arkansas, a new law notes that receiving a COVID-19 vaccine "shall not be a condition of education," while a new Florida law prohibits educational institutions from requiring students or residents to provide proof of vaccination, CNN said.

In Indiana, Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a similar law in late April that notes "the state or a local unit may not issue or require an immunization passport." In Montana, the law signed by Gov. Greg Gianforte in May calls it "an unlawful discriminatory practice" to "refuse, withhold from, or deny" educational opportunities based on a person's vaccination status, CNN reported.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma passed a law in June that prohibits public schools from requiring COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of admittance or attendance. And in Utah, a new law "prohibits a governmental entity from requiring that an individual receive a vaccine for COVID-19." That includes public school districts, CNN said.