The very first Amendment in our Constitution guarantees the freedom of religion.  Parents should have the ability to exempt their child from any vaccine if it violates tenets of their religious practices.  This is not a radical opinion, but rather the current Virginia law. 

The decision to vaccinate children and school teachers against COVID should absolutely be a personal decision.  This vaccine seems to provide good protection from serious disease for those vaccinated, however, it does not provide the same level of protection against the spread of the virus by a vaccinated person.  The public health risk posed to children by COVID is already much lower than many other risks that we have accepted.  According to the CDC, since the start of the pandemic, 700 children have died from COVID as compared to approximately 50,000 deaths in children 14 and under from all causes.  Additionally, parents who desire to reduce that risk for their child have the freedom to vaccinate their child.  The number of vaccinated children being hospitalized from COVID is incredibly small.  Based upon the already low risk, the ability for concerned parents to get their children vaccinated, and the fact that vaccinated children still carry and pass the virus, there is clearly no compelling public health threat that warrants the compulsion of the COVID vaccination against students religious practices and tenets. 

I am in the military and I am in the process of deciding where to retire from the military and I am considering Virginia.  I have already purchased a home, gotten a VA drivers license, and registered to vote here.  However, in our nation, we are seeing people leave states like California for states like Texas.  Many are doing so because they want to live in places where people have the freedom to practice their faith, raise their family, and run their businesses according to their own personal convictions while allowing others to do the same.  Decisions like this will drive my choice for which state to start my second career in.