A judge declared Monday (Jan. 17) night that San Diego Unified cannot implement its student COVID-19 vaccine mandate, even if the matter is under appeal.
The new judgment comes days after the school district announced apparent plans to require the COVID-19 vaccine of athletes and extracurricular participants.
The judgment is yet another victory for Let Them Choose, a North County-based organization that sued San Diego Unified last year challenging the district’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for students age 16 and up. Last month, San Diego Superior Court Judge John Meyer sided with Let Them Choose and said school districts lack the legal authority to mandate vaccination on their own. Soon after, the school district announced it would appeal the ruling.
Meyer said in his new judgment that an appeal by the district will not pause his previous ruling, meaning the district is still prohibited from enforcing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for students.