Governor Greg Abbott today directed the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and Texas school superintendents that the COVID-19 vaccine cannot be mandated as part of school entry requirements.
Instead, Texas law overrides a recent recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that added the vaccine to immunization schedules for adults and school-aged children.
In letters to TEA Commissioner Mike Morath and school superintendents statewide, Abbott explains that his Executive Order GA-39, issued on August 25, 2021, allows Texas parents to opt out of the COVID-19 vaccine for their children and further empowers parents to be the primary decisionmakers in their children’s health care. Also, the Texas Legislature has enabled parents to opt out of vaccinating their children for health reasons and reasons of conscience through a number of statutes, including Texas Education Code § 38.01(c)(1), Texas Health & Safety Code §§ 161.004(d), 161.0041, and Texas Human Resources Code § 42.043(d).