I usually try to stay away from political landmines in my posts, but the latest updates on public vaccines, especially when it comes to children, caused me concern.
According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) report,
“While most of the public continue to have confidence in the benefits of childhood vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella, the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic and debates over vaccine requirements and mandates appear to have had an impact on public attitudes towards MMR vaccine requirements for public schools. The latest KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor survey finds that about seven in ten adults (71%) say healthy children should be required to get vaccinated for MMR in order to attend public schools, down from 82% who said the same in an October 2019 Pew Research Center poll. Almost three in ten (28%) now say that parents should be able to decide not to vaccinate their school-age children, even if this creates health risks for others, up from 16% in 2019. Among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, there has been a 24 percentage-point increase in the share who hold this view (from 20% to 44%).”
“Though many no longer see COVID-19 as a uniquely urgent threat, public health officials continue to encourage vaccination and emphasize the importance of the updated bivalent booster to help prevent serious illness and death from COVID-19, particularly in light of holiday gathering and travel. However, public uptake of the updated booster is relatively tepid, with just about one in five adults saying they have already gotten it. Democrats (38%) and adults ages 65 and older (39%) have been more eager, with about four in ten saying they have already gotten the updated COVID-19 booster which has been available since September. Fewer young adults under the age of 30 (11%) and Republicans (12%) report having gotten and updated booster dose.”
“While most parents of children under age 18 (80%) say they think the benefits of childhood MMR vaccines outweigh the risks, about one in six parents (17%) think the risks of these vaccines outweigh the benefits. Among adults who have not gotten vaccinated for COVID-19, about one in four (26%) say the risks of childhood vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella outweigh the benefits. Nonetheless, it remains notable that even among adults who have not gotten the COVID-19 vaccine, most (70%) say the benefits of childhood MMR vaccines outweigh the risks.”
Earlier this week I posted an article titled “Schools Either Want Parents or They Don’t”. A good friend from Texas responded by reminding all of us parents involved in school is a very tricky thing, especially in this day of political discord and division. My friend reminded me that schools are already dealing with parents who want to sanitize the school library of anything they feel “offensive”, and which might focus on the hot button political issues of the day. Add to the library controversy critical race theory, masking, and today’s topic of vaccines, we have a battleground that is not a good place to produce smarter and stronger learners.
If you’ve read my posts over the past year, you know I’ve pretty much given up on the traditional public school system to be a place where consensus can carry the day, even to those who oppose the decision the most.
So what do we do?
I never thought I’d write this, but here it is.
If there are parents who don’t believe in childhood vaccinations like measles, mumps and rubella, then fine. They can form their own learning pod, along with other parents who think the same.
If there are parents who don’t want their children to be exposed to critical race theory, or would like a certain type of U.S. history to be learned, then fine. They can form their own learning pod, along with other parents who think the same.
If there are parents who want their kids to read only books that do not introduce any controversy into their lives, then fine. They can form their own learning pod, along with other parents who think the same.
Get my drift?
If the traditional public school system is broken beyond repair (and it is when it comes to black, brown, and poor kids), and we want to shift the responsibility from public schools to parents to assure learning pods are formed, learning coaches are hired, learning plans are developed, and kids learn how to define, plan, execute, and evaluate their own learning, then we must understand all pods aren’t going to be the same. When it comes to the common good, learning pods won’t feel the same as a traditional school since pods will be much smaller and much more personal. And with pods becoming more personal, comes the reality that some of them aren’t going to believe nor practice what I was asked to believe and practice as a public school student.
Scary?
Damned right it’s scary.
But I don’t see another way to slice this.
Do you?
Friday news roundup tomorrow. SVB
A Better Path to Learning 
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