New Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares wrote in a legal opinion that public universities in the commonwealth cannot mandate students to receive COVID-19 vaccines …
New Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares wrote in a legal opinion that public universities in the commonwealth cannot mandate students to receive COVID-19 vaccines or booster doses as a requirement to attend in-person classes. “Although the General Assembly specifically authorized public institutions of higher education to assist the Department of Health and local health departments in the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine, the legislation did not grant such institutions power to impose vaccine requirements,” Miyares wrote in his opinion, which was requested by new Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican. The attorney general cited a Virginia state law that stipulates what vaccines students at public universities must receive before attending. Virginia schools require students to be vaccinated against diseases like tetanus and diphtheria, but Miyares noted in his opinion that such requirements are passed by Virginia’s General Assembly, whereas COVID-19 vaccine mandates were not.
