February 15, 2025 Keeping Education Accessible and Ending Covid-19 Vaccine Mandates in Schools - Executive Order

This executive order prohibits the use of discretionary federal funds to support schools and universities that require COVID-19 vaccination for in-person attendance. It emphasizes parental rights, personal freedom, and religious liberty, asserting that vaccine mandates in education infringe on these principles.

Key Actions and Requirements:

Policy Against COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates in Education:

• Some schools and universities continue to require COVID-19 vaccination for students.

• The Administration considers such mandates coercive and a violation of personal freedom and parental authority.

• No discretionary federal funds will be provided to schools or higher education institutions that impose such vaccine mandates.

  
  

Defining Covered Educational Institutions:

• The order applies to elementary and secondary schools, local and state educational agencies, higher education institutions, and educational service agencies as defined in federal law and regulations.

  
  

Implementation Plan to End Coercive Mandates:

• The Secretary of Education must issue guidelines to schools regarding their legal obligations on:

  • Parental rights

  • Religious freedom

  • Disability accommodations

  • Equal protection under the law

• Within 90 days, the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Health and Human Services must submit a plan to the President to end vaccine mandates in schools. This plan must include:

  • A list of schools receiving federal grants or contracts while non-compliant with the guidelines.

  • A process for rescinding or withholding federal funds from non-compliant schools, within legal limits.

    
    

Implementation and Limitations:

• The order does not override existing laws or the authority of government agencies.

• It must be implemented consistent with legal and budgetary constraints.

• It does not create new legal rights enforceable against the U.S. government.

  
  

Conclusion:

This order seeks to end COVID-19 vaccine mandates in education by blocking discretionary federal funding for non-compliant schools. It directs federal agencies to establish guidelines, oversight, and funding consequences for schools that continue to impose vaccine requirements.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/keeping-education-accessible-and-ending-covid-19-vaccine-mandates-in-schools/

Writer's Note: Summary made with the use of AI tools for editing and quick processing, facts checked against the order before publishing.