Ohio Public Schools Cannot Require COVID-19 Vaccinations

COLUMBUS, OH — Ohio public schools and universities are now prohibited from requiring students and staff to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

House Bill 244 was signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine on Wednesday. The legislation bars Ohio schools from requiring anyone to receive a vaccine that has not received full approval from the Food and Drug Administration. All three COVID-19 vaccines — from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson — were granted emergency approval, but not full approval.

The law will not take effect for 90 days. It is possible one or all three of the vaccines will receive full approval during that time. The governor is hoping the vaccines are given full approval before the legislation goes into effect, DeWine's office told the Cincinnati Enquirer.

However, the law is already having an impact on schools as the new academic year approaches. Cleveland State University initially announced it would require students living on campus to be vaccinated. University officials have since walked that vow back and said they would instead follow the guidance of House Bill 244.

House Bill 244 will not impact a private school's ability to mandate vaccinations for students.

As Ohio makes it easier for unvaccinated people to participate in public life, without concern for health mandates, the highly contagious delta variant of COVID-19 has begun to predominate in the Buckeye State. In May, the variant accounted for approximately 2 percent of confirmed cases in Ohio. By the end of June, delta was responsible for nearly 30 percent of COVID-19 cases in Ohio, Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said during a news conference on Wednesday.

COVID-19 vaccinations have also slowed to a crawl in Ohio. Approximately 60 percent of eligible residents have received at least part of a vaccine, Vanderhoff said. However, the much-discussed Vax-a-Million lottery giveaway had little impact on increasing vaccination numbers, a new report found, and health officials have begun making urgent pleas to Ohioans, begging them to get a vaccine and protect themselves and others from the more potent delta variant.

"The danger just keeps getting greater and greater," Vanderhoff said. "Please consider getting vaccinated."