Four proposed bills in the state senate aim to prevent school districts from setting certain COVID-19 restrictions. Those restrictions include requiring the COVID vaccine and testing asymptomatic students for the virus.
Republican state senator Tom Barrett is one of the cosponsors of the bills.
"Medical professionals are free to give their advice, guidance, and opinion," Barrett said. "But ultimately, when we’re looking at governing, medical professionals do not solely govern the state of Michigan".
He says school districts and school boards will probably oppose the legislation, but personal privacy should take priority.
“People can see the recommendations that are out there from the CDC, from their local health department, from any of the assorted government agencies that exist," Barrett said. "But in the United States of America, it’s still an individual’s right to make medical decisions for themselves".
Barrett says parents get waivers for other vaccines, and COVID-19 should be no different.