The Most Reverend Kevin Vann

Bishop of Orange

Pastoral Center

13280 Chapman Avenue

Garden Grove, CA 92840

Your Excellency–

As you are certainly aware, the Orange County Board of supervisors and many of the OC Unified School Districts as well as other public-school districts around the state of California are contemplating a vote to require a Covid-19 vaccination for students to attend in-person classes. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has publicly acknowledged that they are considering a state-wide vaccine mandate for students who qualify.

The Diocese has to date complied with the CDPH mask mandate on students in Catholic schools and has publicly taken the position that it is required to do so because it is a public health mandate.

As parents of Catholic School students in Orange County, we would like to invite you to a public discussion about vaccine mandates from the CDPH or other authorities, and how the Diocese would direct Catholic schools in Orange County to respond to these mandates. The Covid-19 pandemic and the response from our schools impacts the safety and health of our children, and we believe it deserves an open dialogue with you and the Diocese to understand how you plan to protect them. Public school parents have been able to voice their views to their school boards; we deserve the same consideration from our Diocesan schools in Orange County.

We would love to meet with you this week to discuss

Signed,

Concerned parents