There are eight candidates seeking seats on Whitehall-Coplay School Board: Democrats Keri Kromer, Antoinette M. Guedes, George E. Williams and Karen Glover and Republicans Allison Schultz, William Fonzone Sr., Elizabeth N. Fox and Fady Salloum. Voters will choose four in the Nov. 2 election.

Salloum is also on the ballot for a two-year term on the board. He is unchallenged on the ballot for that seat.

The candidates were asked to respond to the following question in 100 words or less:

Once a COVID-19 vaccine is approved for all children, should it be included in the list of already-required vaccines needed to attend school? Please explain.

ANTOINETTE M. GUEDES

While school board directors do not have the authority to mandate vaccines, at this time, I do not believe it should be included in the list of already required vaccines for the 2022-23 school year. Pennsylvania Department of Health is the only entity that has the legal authority to mandate vaccines. I believe each parent will have to make a personal choice about what is best for their child, family and community.

GEORGE E. WILLIAMS

I believe that once the FDA has fully approved a COVID-19 vaccination for all school children, this vaccine should be included in the list of vaccinations required to attend school. We want to provide as safe and “normal” an educational environment as possible and to ensure that every student feels safe each day when s/he enters our buildings. Complying with Department of Health mandated vaccination directives is part of ensuring that safety. Additionally, adherence to a required vaccination schedule would significantly decrease the risk of exposing our educators to COVID, which would, in turn, reduce health care costs.

ALLISON SCHULTZ

I am adamantly opposed to the COVID-19 vaccine being added to the list of required immunizations. There is not enough long-term data on either the safety or the efficacy, especially in the pediatric population. The vast majority of children do not experience severe illness from COVID-19 infection. Those vaccinated do not prevent the spread of the virus and, in the delta variant, the viral load in vaccinated compared to unvaccinated individuals is the same. Why mandate this when we do not mandate vaccination against influenza, which has a higher pediatric mortality rate than COVID-19?

WILLIAM FONZONE SR.

School boards in Pennsylvania do not create mandates for required school immunizations. Those mandates are written by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and approved by the state government. School boards then follow the immunization requirements.

ELIZABETH N. FOX

My answer to this is simple. Vaccinating a child should be optional and up to a parent. Unlike other vaccines, the COVID vaccines have not been tested by time. We do not know how they will impact our children neurologically, reproductively or their mental health. There may be long-term effects to one or more biological systems, which we simply do not and cannot know at this time. It would be irresponsible as a school board to mandate COVID vaccinations and to presume we know better than a parent. It should be a parent’s choice for the child.

FADY SALLOUM

Statistics compiled jointly by The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association indicate that severe illness due to COVID-19 is uncommon among children, as is hospitalization and death.

There is an urgent need to collect more data on longer-term impacts of the pandemic on children, including physical, emotional and mental health effects.

The need for vaccinations should be made by parents in discussion with the child’s pediatrician. The state or school district should not have the right to demand all children receive these vaccines at this time.

Kromer did not respond.

Efforts to contact Glover were unsuccessful.