By Beatriz Garay
The Los Angeles Community College District has changed it’s masking and vaccination policy in which new and continuing students would no longer have to submit proof of vaccination when enrolling for classes.
For the last two years and a half, colleges and universities have gone through a difficult time to switch to a computer-based classroom that made it even more tough for students to get the education they want. It was something that most would not expect would happen as they thought their leaders would handle the problems and find solutions before it got worse. As it turns out, they didn’t handle the issues and a substantial number of students lost the experience that they had learned from in-person learning.
As we managed to get a handle on this pandemic, nearly all educational institutions made it their policy to have students show proof that they have received the COVID-19 vaccine before returning to school, but this may no longer be a requirement. As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations significantly reduce, it has enabled these schools to take certain steps to return all students back to the classroom and are considering dropping the vaccination proof to ease the load off students. This can be seen as a first step in returning to normalcy that many students want after spending nearly two full years sitting behind a computer and holding up within their homes without having to worry about getting the virus.
While some can say that this might be a good thing to do, it may also be a bad thing to remove as it is the only other form of protection that can keep students safe from those who disregard the safety of others and the importance of the vaccine. If we remove this method without testing it first, then there can be a huge surge of COVID-19 that would make students return back to learning from a computer. This may seem to be an unnecessary step to have that could invade someone’s privacy but it is a form of assurance that can keep the safety and accountability of everyone who is either on-campus and in a classroom. , it is essential that they can see the bigger picture of how one small step can determine the health and safety of others who may not be so lucky to fight against something like COVID-19.
If the Los Angeles Community College District has plans on dropping the proof of vaccination policy within their colleges, they need to take drastic measures to ensure that they are able to handle something like an unexpected COVID-19 surge as it could put a lot of people in danger. It may seem excessive but if you saw how the United States was during the first few months of the pandemic, then you can really understand why it is smart to have plans in place if things go bad. Some will agree or disagree on this action, but if you know what it is like to lose a friend, a family member or someone close, then you can understand the importance of having a policy like this in place to ensure that lives are not lost by not having all of the facts.