A lot of information has been circulating about the legality of whether or not a college or university can require students to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
On April 27, 2021, Bradley University sent an email to students asking how supportive they would be in the school requiring a COVID-19 vaccine. This has led many students to question whether or not the school can legally require it, if people can be exempt and how the school will verify their vaccination.
The short answer to whether a college can legally require the vaccine is yes. A school has every right to choose to require the COVID-19 vaccine for those attending in-person classes.
In a CNBC article, Renee Mattei Myers stated that just how colleges are able to require other vaccinations, it is within their right to require the coronavirus vaccine as well.
The question then arises if there are religious or medical exemptions to getting the vaccine. Legally, those who claim medical or religious exemptions cannot be required to get the vaccine for school, though experts claim some schools may require them to stay off-campus and take classes online. The legality of this remains in question.
With all the fake news surrounding the Coronavirus vaccines and anti-vaxers wanting to avoid restrictions, people have actually begun forging, selling and buying fake COVID-19 vaccine cards. This has led to many questions about how to verify if someone is actually vaccinated and how schools will ask students to verify.
There is no clear answer yet as to how someone who has received the vaccine will be verified aside from their vaccine card, but in hopes of minimizing the fraudulent cards, the FBI have released a public warning that buying or creating a fake vaccine card is illegal.
Everyone should do research, consult with their physician and adhere to their college’s guidelines to do their part to stop the spread of COVID-19. For information about COVID-19 and the vaccines, visit the CDC’s official website.