University Business Publishes Akin Gump Article on Legal Considerations for Mandatory COVID Vaccines for Students
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University Business has published the article “Mandatory COVID vaccines for students: Legal pain point or panacea?” written by Akin Gump litigation partner Michael Vernick, counsel Brennan Meier and Molly Whitman and associate Jessica Mannon. The article looks at the legal issues involved for colleges and universities that may seek to require students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before returning to campus.
The authors write that mandatory immunizations have been approved in the past by the U.S. Supreme Court, but there are currently “no state laws mandating COVID-19 vaccines for school-age children or college students.” In fact, they write, “some states are considering bans that would prohibit universities from requiring COVID-19 vaccines.” The decision, as the article points out, “is not without potentially significant legal risk.”
The article outlines several benefits that schools might consider when weighing whether to mandate vaccines. They include increased campus safety for students, faculty, and staff as well as more fully re-opened campuses. On the other hand, the authors warn, “such a mandate might disproportionately impact students from varying locations or socioeconomic backgrounds.”
To read the article in its entirety, please click here.
