LANSING, Mich., Sept. 14, 2021 — Today, the Michigan Senate Education and Career Readiness Committee passed a package of bills that prohibits schools from issuing mask and COVID-19 vaccine mandates. In response, state Rep. Darrin Camilleri (D-Brownstown Township), Democratic vice chair of the House Education Committee, issued the following statement:
“The package the Senate passed today doesn’t protect individual freedoms— instead, it eliminates the protection our schools need to ensure this school year can start with as little disruption as possible and puts our kids, teachers, and support staff at risk. As a former educator, I understand the normal challenges our students face when we’re not in the middle of a pandemic, and COVID-19 has only increased the number of stressors they’re dealing with. No student or staff member should have to worry that the choices another person makes at school could put them at risk of contracting this deadly virus, and today’s move shows once again that Republicans are willing to put our kids, educators, and their families in jeopardy to score political points.”
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