Bill Overview
Title: To prohibit the provision of Federal funds to a local educational agency that imposes or enforces a COVID-19 vaccine mandate on students at the schools served by such agency.
Description: This bill prohibits a local educational agency (LEA) from receiving federal funds if the LEA imposes or enforces a COVID-19 vaccine requirement on students at public elementary and secondary schools under the jurisdiction of the LEA.
Sponsors: Rep. Van Drew, Jefferson [R-NJ-2]
Target Audience
Population: Students at public elementary and secondary schools
Estimated Size: 50800000
- Local educational agencies (LEAs) typically oversee public schools, including both elementary and secondary schools.
- There are approximately 50.8 million students attending public elementary and secondary schools in the United States, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
- The number of public schools in the US is approximately 98,469, and these are administered by around 13,000 school districts, which are considered local educational agencies.
- Not all LEAs might choose to impose a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Therefore, only students in areas where LEAs intend to mandate such vaccines would be directly impacted.
- Students who attend schools that might lose funding due to this bill would experience direct impacts if the funding withdrawal affects school operations or services.
- The overall student population in countries outside of the United States might not be directly impacted by this bill.
Reasoning
- Not all LEAs enforce vaccine mandates, so only some students are in regions where this policy takes effect.
- The impact on students is based on whether their LEA imposes vaccine requirements; loss of funding might affect school programs and services.
- The budget implies that the policy affects a significant number of students, potentially impacting district funding decisions across the country.
Simulated Interviews
Student (New York, NY)
Age: 15 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm worried about my school's funding if they lose federal aid.
- I understand the importance of vaccines, but I also want my school to have enough resources.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 9 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 9 |
Teacher (Austin, TX)
Age: 40 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- If funding is cut, our programs could suffer, impacting student education.
- Health safety is critical, but so is education quality.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 5 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 9 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 9 |
School Principal (Los Angeles, CA)
Age: 55 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This policy puts schools like ours in a difficult position between public health and funding.
- Balancing mandates with keeping our school funded will be a challenge.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 9 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 9 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 9 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 9 |
Parent (Columbus, OH)
Age: 38 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 15/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm concerned about how this policy might affect my children's education if funding is cut.
- Vaccine mandates are important, but so is having a fully functioning school.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 8 |
School Nurse (Miami, FL)
Age: 25 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Ensuring that all students are vaccinated is crucial for public health.
- Losing funding could make it hard to maintain health programs at school.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 5 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 9 |
School District Administrator (Seattle, WA)
Age: 60 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 3/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This bill forces us to weigh public health against critical funding.
- We'll need to find ways to compensate for potential losses in federal funding.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 4 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 5 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 9 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 9 |
Student (Chicago, IL)
Age: 17 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This affects my school activities and clubs if we lose funding.
- I'd like my school to keep the mandates, but it's hard if funding is cut.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 9 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 9 |
Parent (Birmingham, AL)
Age: 30 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 0.0 years
Commonness: 18/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm less concerned with mandates since our schools don't enforce them.
- Our main worry is any disruption this policy might cause indirectly.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 8 |
Superintendent (Denver, CO)
Age: 45 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 8.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- We have to navigate maintaining student safety without sacrificing funding.
- Strategic planning is essential to bridge gaps if support from this bill is reduced.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 9 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 9 |
State Education Official (Phoenix, AZ)
Age: 50 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 4/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Our schools require stable federal funding, especially in larger districts.
- Mandate decisions will deeply affect funding and operational capabilities.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 5 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 9 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 9 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 9 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $2000000000 (Low: $1000000000, High: $3000000000)
Year 2: $1980000000 (Low: $990000000, High: $2970000000)
Year 3: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Year 5: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Year 10: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Year 100: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Key Considerations
- The policy might disproportionately affect schools that rely heavily on federal funds, which tend to serve low-income communities.
- There could be significant logistical and administrative burdens in both enforcing compliance and reallocating resources.
- The policy's impact will largely depend on the prevalence of vaccine mandates among LEAs and their financial reliance on federal funding.