Washington, D.C.’s public schools will begin the process of enrolling illegal immigrants for the upcoming school year while simultaneously barring children who did not receive the experimental Covid shot from attending school altogether.
According to The Daily Caller, “The program can enroll 40 illegal migrants in Washington schools for the fall school year,” with D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Lewis D. Ferebee saying that the district “will ensure that students have access to the services needed, and if they reside in a particular area, [the district] will ensure that they have access to their neighborhood school.”
“Ferebee added that the school district has a ‘strong welcoming center’ to enroll the migrants,” the Daily Caller noted.
Back in April, Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the Texas Division of Emergency Management to “begin coordinating the voluntary transportation” of illegal immigrants to Washington, D.C. and “other locations” throughout the country in response to the Biden administration’s continued refusal to secure the U.S. southern border. Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey soon followed suit and began transporting foreign nationals crossing into Arizona from Mexico to the nation’s capital in May.
While rolling out the welcome mat for illegal immigrants, D.C. government officials couldn’t find similar compassion for American children living in the city, many of whom will not be allowed to acquire an education under the D.C. public school system’s Covid jab mandate.
As reported by The Daily Signal, the Democrat-run city “does not appear to have a contingency plan for unvaccinated students, who are banned from attending schools in person this fall after the first 20 days,” with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser admitting in a recent press conference that “there are no alternative options, including virtual learning, for students who cannot attend school due to the District’s vaccine mandate, meaning unvaccinated children will effectively be left without an education.”
Given that children are the least at-risk demographic for Covid and that the jab is unable to prevent transmission of the virus, there remains no clear rationale for the school system’s mandate. For a party that likes to paint itself as a champion of “diversity” and “inclusion,” D.C. Democrats’ jab policy is also on track to make the city’s school system far less racially diverse.
According to data from the D.C. government, black students are the least jabbed racial demographic in the city, with 47 percent of black children (ages 12-15) and 42 percent of black teens (ages 16-17) having not completed their Covid shots. Under the current rules, the school district’s policy is set to leave thousands of children without a clear educational alternative for the upcoming school year.
Infringing on the personal health decisions of D.C. residents is nothing new for officials like Bowser, who on Thursday suffered a humiliating defeat after a D.C. Superior Court judge struck down her illegal Covid shot mandate for government workers. In his order, Judge Maurice A. Ross concluded that Bowser had no legal authority to issue such a requirement and that the “power to issue a vaccine mandate must come from a legislative body.”
“It is undisputed that the Mayor has a strong interest in combating the spread of Covid-19,” he added. “However, our system does not permit the Mayor to act unlawfully even in the pursuit of desirable ends.”
In a publicly released statement, the D.C. Police Union, which filed the lawsuit against the city back in February, celebrated the decision and specifically highlighted the section of Ross’s order that ruled that Bowser is “permanently enjoined from implementing, imposing and/or enforcing the COVID-19 vaccine mandate” and that all disciplinary actions related to the mandate “shall immediately cease and be dismissed with full reimbursement to be provided to all [Fraternal Order of Police] members for any loss of benefits, pay, or rights and all related disciplinary proceedings to be expunged from their records.”
“This is a significant victory for our Union that protects the rights of our members and ensures that they will no longer be forced to receive the COVID-19 vaccine against their will and will no longer be subjected to discipline for deciding not to receive the vaccine,” said Chairman Gregg Pemberton. “This has been a long and unnecessary fight. Had the Mayor just engaged the Union in good faith bargaining, we could have reached a reasonable compromise that protected everyone’s interests. Nonetheless, we are pleased that Judge Ross agreed with our arguments and issued this ruling.”
Comments
Unlock commenting by joining the Federalist Community. Subscribe
Source: The Federalist
