Anti-Vaccine-Mandate Protestors are Showing up at School Board Meetings Across California

01Dec
by Leticia Chavez-Garcia


A group of anti-mandate protestors is protesting at school boards across the state. 

Currently, there is a trend happening across the state of California. It all has to do with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate from the state of California by Governor Gavin Newsom.  Protestors are targeting the mandate and have been causing quite a stir at school board meetings across the state. 

The group of protestors calling themselves “Not On Our Watch”  have been going from city to city, protesting at school board meetings, inciting disruptive open session meetings during public comments, and promoting a resolution calling for districts to defy the California mandate to get vaccinated. This group claims that the mandate is in violation of their rights and their children’s rights and are refusing to get their children vaccinated. They are demanding that school boards adopt policies and resolutions, supporting what they call an anti-mandate. 

Here is a sample resolution that was sent to me by a school board member in a city nearby. They will remain nameless, due to fears school board members have of protestors and threats they have received. 

One of the leaders of this group seems to be a gentleman by the name of Greg Abdouch. Mr. Abdouch is a developer in the Inland Empire. Apparently, they have organized protests around the state to compel and, quite frankly, in some cases threaten and terrorize school board officials into producing resolutions, mandating schools to defy vaccination mandates ordered by the county, state, or federal officials. 

Apple Valley Unified has already passed the resolution and the group is calling on several districts to follow suit.  

Some of the school board officials I’ve spoken to feel threatened by the things said at school board meetings during the public comment section.

The protests are not limited to school boards. Protestors have also been seen at board of supervisor meetings and city meetings to voice their protest.

So, what can we do about this? We can help by supporting our school boards and supporting the mandate given by Governor Gavin Newsom to vaccinate children in our schools because this is a matter of public health. 

Comadres, what are your thoughts on the issue?

What do you think?
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Leticia Chavez-Garcia

Leticia Chavez-Garcia is a Mother, Grandmother, former Middle School Teacher, former Member of a School Board of Education and an Education Advocate for hundreds of parents and students in the Inland Empire. Having become a mother at 15, Leticia knows what it’s like to be a single mother trying to navigate the education system. Leticia received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science and Public Administration from California Baptist University and a Masters’ Degree in Education Technology from Cal State Fullerton in her 30’s. Leticia has used her knowledge and experience to help hundreds of families as an Education Advocate in the Inland Empire and currently works as an Education Specialist.

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