There are five candidates seeking four open seats for four-year terms on the Parkland School Board.

They include Annette Wilcox, who is running on the Democrat ticket; Robert M. Cohen, who has cross-filed on both the Democrat and Republican tickets; Democrat Jay Rohatgi; David J. Hein, who has cross-filed; and Republican Jarrett Coleman.

The Press asked the candidates the following question.

Once a COVID-19 vaccine is approved for all children, should that be added to the required vaccines needed to attend school? Should all staff be required to be vaccinated?” Please explain.

Annette Wilcox

Historically, school vaccine mandates have played a role in helping to eliminate serious diseases such as polio; a disease to which I watched my uncle succumb. Additionally, these mandates have been upheld by the judicial system. Pennsylvania currently requires several vaccines prior to school attendance* which is bound to increase as new diseases and medical breakthroughs surface. As the safety of students and staff is a top priority, I support adding COVID-19 vaccinations to the required list once they have received full FDA approval for all ages, so long as these mandates are in agreement with local and state laws, and allow for medical and religious exemptions. *Pa CODE CH. 23

Robert M. Cohen

I am a Parkland School Board veteran. Our district is a nationally recognized leader because all our stakeholders focus on common goals. For 24 years I have been an integral part of this collaborative effort. Intelligent decision making requires the input of multiple sources of information. Data, credible scientific research, and recommendations of experts, are the core of my safety, educational, and financial considerations. We have all seen that COVID-19 protocols require an evolving response. My first responsibility as a School Board Director will continue to be the health and safety of our community’s children and all school district personnel.

Jay Rohatgi

Both my teenage kids got the COVID-19 vaccine when it became available to them, based on their doctor’s advice. Both my wife and I were also vaccinated based on our doctor’s advice. The key point about those decisions is that they were made based on medical advice by trusted experts. The mandatory vaccination list is maintained by the state/federal legislations, not locally at the school district level. School board directors, unless in clinical care, are not medical experts. As a school board director, I’ll serve within the confines of the role and would leave the medical decisions to physicians.

David J. Hein

Given the many variants of the virus, once a COVID-19 vaccine is approved for all children, I think it should be strongly encouraged to be administered annually, like the flu vaccine. With the ever-changing nature of the virus, it will be difficult (in my opinion) to have one standard vaccine to prevent the coronavirus. Vaccines in this category are a personal choice. While I think it is a good idea to get the vaccine, I do not think that all staff should be required to get it. There are other mitigation steps that can be taken to keep everyone safe.

Jarrett Coleman

I believe that parents should be the ones making decisions for the health and well-being of their own children. No one else should make these decisions for them. This means that parents should have the choice to decide if they want to have their children vaccinated against COVID-19 or not. Additionally I believe teachers should be able to make their own choices regarding their own health care decisions as they relate to the COVID-19 vaccination.