Open Letter from SWWHSA to Mayor and DC Council: Mandate COVID-19 vaccine for eligible students

Dear Mayor Bowser and Chairman Mendelson,

On behalf of the School Without Walls Home and School Association (SWWHSA), I ask that you exercise powers within the executive and legislative to mandate vaccines for eligible students enrolled in DC’s public schools.

Like all school communities, we want our school district to provide the safest possible environment in which students learn and educators work. We recently polled our families to determine vaccination rates in our school and how the SWWHSA could help increase rates. Families of over 300 students responded. All but one fully vaccinated and the overwhelming ask was for the SWWHSA to advocate for a vaccine mandate.

Our community appreciates and supports the efforts undertaken by DC Government to encourage families to vaccinate, if eligible. We support the mandate for staff vaccination, and for vaccination of student athletes who are vaccine-eligible. However, we worry that the pace of vaccinations for eligible ages under 18 will not be sufficient to slow down the current wave driven by the Delta variant or future variants.

We have heard the Mayor, DME, Chancellor, Principal, and community leaders say COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective and vaccinating is the strongest way to protect our school community. We support this and, in turn, hope the DC government will join the State of California (and George Washington University, where our campus is located) in serving as a leader in keeping schools safe and open for in-person learning by immediately implementing a mandate (and legislation, if necessary) that all students who are eligible for vaccine be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by December 31, 2021.

We trust it goes without mention that leadership entails both setting firm lines in the sand AND supporting students and families to get across the finish line toward vaccine compliance.

Thank you in advance for your support,

Maan Sacdalan

SWWHSA President

Samantha Caruth, Vice President

Elizabeth Dranitze, At-Large

Sandra Moscoso, At-Large

Marion Babcock, Acting LSAT Co-Chair

Gina Lynn Anderson, Secretary

Deidra Barksdale,
At-Large

Karen Quarles, At-Large

Esperanza Roman, LSAT Representative

Dawn Leijon, Treasurer & Boosters Treasurer

Shandrika Donawana Johnkins At-Large and LSAT Representative

Jane Tobler, At-Large

Marilyn Nowalk, MUN Treasurer

Malene Lawrence, At-Large and LSAT Representative

Malcolm, Willoughby, HSA Staff Representative

To:
pmendelson@dccouncil.us,
muriel.bowser@dc.gov

CC:
doh@dc.gov,
LaQuandra.Nesbitt@dc.gov,
bnadeau@dccouncil.us,
Paul.Kihn@dc.gov,
bpinto@dccouncil.us,
mcheh@dccouncil.us,
jlewisgeorge@dccouncil.us,
kmcduffie@dccouncil.us,
callen@dccouncil.us,
vgray@dccouncil.us,
twhite@dccouncil.us,
rwhite@dccouncil.us,
chenderson@dccouncil.us,
abonds@dccouncil.us,
esilverman@dccouncil.us,
rlancaster@dccouncil.us,
ehanson@dccouncil.us,
mporcello@dccouncil.us,
wperkins@dccouncil.us,
ballen@dccouncil.us,
lmarks@dccouncil.us,
tnorflis@dccouncil.us,
tgjackson@dccouncil.us,
afowlkes@dccouncil.us,
mshaffer@dccouncil.us,
dmeadows@dccouncil.us,
srosenamy@dccouncil.us,
ljordan@dccouncil.us,
zachary.parker@dc.gov,
emily.gasoi@dc.gov,
jacque.patterson@dc.gov,
allister.chang1@dc.gov,
ruth.wattenberg@dc.gov,
Frazier.OLeary@dc.gov,
jessica.sutter@dc.gov,
eboni-rose.thompson@dc.gov,
carlene.reid@dc.gov,
John-Paul.Hayworth@dc.gov,