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Gov. John Bel Edwards has said the COVID vaccine will be added to the immunization schedule for schools and colleges in the state, overriding a previous 13-2 vote against the decision.
Edwards, a Democrat, sent a letter to the House Health and Welfare Committee on Tuesday to inform them of his decision, stating eligible students will be required to be vaccinated in time for the 2022-23 school year or file for an exemption.
He criticized “misleading and conspiratorial rhetoric” about the pandemic and the vaccine and reiterated that under the current plan, only students for whom the vaccine has been fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration will be required to be vaccinated.
The current age threshold is 16.
However, if the FDA does expand the approvals to a wider age range, Louisiana’s requirements could change.
To support his decision, Edwards pointed to the 19 reported COVID deaths among children during the pandemic, while zero have died from getting vaccinated.
He also said the requirement will accept a fairly wide scope of exemptions, giving parents the chance to decide if their child should get vaccinated or not and file paperwork to avoid it.
“No child will be forced to be vaccinated against the will of his or her parents,” the governor wrote.
The decision will likely attract lawsuits from Republicans and others in the state who oppose the requirement.
“The development of the COVID-19 vaccines in time to help us put this pandemic behind us also requires us to do everything we can to add COVID-19 to the list of diseases that no longer pose a serious threat. This rule does just that, and it should remain in place,” Edwards wrote to Rep. Larry Bagley, a Republican who chairs the House health committee.
“While not unexpected, it’s very disappointing. We’re reviewing any and all options we might have,” House Speaker Clay Schexnayder, a Gonzales Republican, said in a statement after the governor released his decision.
Schexnayder and Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry said they don’t believe the Edwards administration has the authority to add the coronavirus vaccine to the immunization schedule without a legislative vote.
The committee “determined that the proposed rule is not advisable, is unacceptable and is outside the scope of authority granted to LDH by the constitution and laws of this state,” the House committee said in its written objection to the governor and the Louisiana Department of Health.
Already, many of Louisiana’s colleges have begun requiring the vaccine — or an exemption request.
Across a daylong committee hearing last week, some lawmakers and members of the public repeated misinformation about the risks of the coronavirus illness and the vaccine.
Other lawmakers called the governor’s plan governmental overreach that meddles in family decision-making.
They said they had been inundated with complaints about adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the immunization schedule for schools.

When the game is on the line, big-time players make big-time plays.
That was the case Monday in a showdown of Acadia Parish heavyweights.
Class B’s No. 3-ranked Midland had Class 3A’s No. 8 Iota on the ropes in a girls battle and led 30-26 entering the final quarter.
From there, Iota’s star guard, Avery Young, simply took over.
The senior guard scored all 10 of the Lady Dogs’ points in the final eight minutes to help lift Iota to a dramatic 36-34 victory in front of a packed house at John Clyde Briley Gym.
Iota improved to 7-3 overall with the victory heading into a road contest at North Vermilion on Friday.
Midland, which takes on Crowley High tonight at 6:15 in their opening game of the Midland Spectacular, fell to 11-5.
Young, an LSUE commitment, finished the night with a game-high 21 points. She added six rebounds, five assists, four blocked shots and two steals.
Young, a prolific 3-point shooter, made just one of her four attempts from beyond the arch but it was one of the biggest shots of the night.
With Iota down four (34-30) and just over a minute remaining, Young drilled a deep 3-pointer from the wing and was fouled on the shot. She calmly walked to the free throw line and completed the rare 4-point play to knot the score at 34-34.
After a Midland turnover down the stretch, Young was fouled again, this time with only 10 seconds remaining.
With ice in her veins, Young stepped to the line and converted the two free throws for a 36-34 lead.
The Lady Rebels had one last chance to tie or win the game, but their final shot was off the mark.
Midland’s relentless defense had forced the Lady Dogs into 16 turnovers through the first three quarters, but turned them over just three times in the final frame.
Iota’s defense, on the other hand, forced five turnovers in the fourth quarter and the Lady Dogs limited the hosts to just four points in the frame.
In the low-scoring contest, it was the Lady Dogs that took control early and led for the majority of the first half.
Midland’s lone lead in the first half was 8-7 after a Marlie Boudreaux 3-pointer early in the second quarter.
Iota went on an 8-0 run after that before Midland’s Gracie Miller nailed back-to-back 3-pointers.
Leah Hebert scored the final two points of the half on a layup to send Iota into the break with a 17-14 advantage.
The Lady Rebels regained the lead in the third quarter by exploding for 16 points. Miller scored seven points during the outburst and Caitlyn Boudreaux had five to help Midland take a 30-26 edge into the final frame.
Miller paced the Lady Rebels with 13 points and Caitlyn Boudreaux had nine. Marlie Boudreaux added five points, Myra Carlson scored three and Dai’Ja-Lee Leblanc finished with two.
In addition to Young’s 21-point performance, Leah Hebert scored seven points for the Lady Dogs and Sage Wimberly added six.
Wimberly, who transferred to Iota from Midland after basketball season a year ago, also had a team-high eight rebounds.
Chloe Cooley rounded out Iota’s offense with two points.
Dogs run past Rebels
In the nightcap, the boys game wasn’t nearly as close.
The Bulldogs had four players score in double figures and they used a 21-point outburst in the third quarter to pull away in a 62-46 victory over the Rebels.
Iota improved to 7-3 with the victory.
The Rebels, who also take on Crowley High tonight (7:30), fell to 5-12.
The Bulldogs raced out to a 15-11 lead in the opening frame thanks to two of Colton Morgan’s four 3-pointers.
The Rebels trimmed the lead to one (15-14) to start the second period on Gabe Vincent’s three-point play, but that was as close as the hosts would get.
Iota had six players contribute points in the frame and they extended their lead to 28-20 entering the break.
Morgan added two more shots from beyond the arc in the third quarter and Andrew Thibodeaux’s 3-point dagger at the buzzer capped a 21-13 run to put the game out of reach at 49-33.
Payton DarDar added a long-range shot and scored seven points in the final frame and the Bulldogs outscored the Rebels 13-11.
DarDar paced the Bulldogs with 16 points and Morgan had 14. Thibodeaux and Chase Lalonde also scored in double figures with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Conner Daigle added four points in the victory. Luke Duhon and Ashton Andrepont rounded out Iota’s offense with two points apiece.
The Rebels were led by Maddox Hanks with 15 points and Vincent with 10. Kayden Bourque followed with six points, J’Stan Keller scored five and Anthony Blunt finished with four.
Zach Baker and Camron LaPoint rounded out the Rebels’ offense with three and two points, respectively.