Malliotakis Pushes City to Lift Vaccine Mandate for Public School Graduations

(WASHINGTON, DC) - Today Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) sent a letter to New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan and New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) Chancellor David Banks urging the city to reconsider its vaccine mandate for award and graduation ceremonies.

"On March 7, 2022, Mayor Eric Adams reversed several COVID-19 safety protocols including the mandatory mask mandates in public schools and the Key2NYC vaccination requirements at restaurants, entertainment, and cultural venues. He also announced last week that unvaccinated students will be allowed to attend prom," Malliotakis wrote. "Despite this, evident inconsistencies in vaccination protocol are continuing to unfairly jeopardize students' school careers as well as their parent and guardians' ability to attend such memorable events as they have been missing out on milestone experiences for the past three years."

Last month, Malliotakis led her local colleagues in calling on the City to reverse its vaccine mandate for public school students to attend prom. The city reversed its mandate following her push. Additionally, following calls from graduates, Malliotakis also reached out to the College of Staten Island and received a commitment that the school would allow unvaccinated students to attend graduation ceremonies.

Malliotakis continued: "If New Yorkers are allowed to eat at restaurants indoors, attend school, go to movie theaters, and work out at the gym without proof of vaccination, NYC public school graduations and award ceremonies should be open to all parents and guardians, regardless of their vaccination status."

Download a copy of Malliotakis' letter HERE.