As a parent to 3 elementary school-aged children, I oppose the mandating of the covid-19 vaccine for attendance in public schools. It is one thing to force them to wear a mask all day, and entirely yet another to force an experimental vaccine for which the long-term effects are not known and short-term benefits are SHORT TERM. How many injections would such a policy enforce on our children? How many boosters that don't generate a lasting immune response? This decision should be left up to parents, not legislators or policy makers. It is clear that in our current world people have been too quick to react without thinking instead of thoughtful consideration. The damage done to children is done willfully out of a knee-jerk reaction and not through a lense of care and concern for the children. Adults who are at risk and should be concerned for their safety need to act accordingly and protect themselves, but not at the expense of children.