Thousands of California Parents Join in Statewide Walkout Against Vaccine Mandate for Students

Hundreds of parents, teachers, and students rallied nearby the Huntington Beach pier as part of the state-wide "walk-out" to denounce California’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for K-12 students in Huntington Beach, Calif., on Oct. 18, 2021. Vanessa Serna/The Epoch Times

Thousands of California parents, students, and teachers on Monday participated in a statewide walkout to protest Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for all students in both public and private schools.

Newsom, a Democrat, earlier this month announced the vaccine mandate for schoolchildren in grades 7 through 12 once the vaccines have received full approval by the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), making California the first state to implement such requirements.