Author: Tracey Young. (Sept. 18, 2021). Sample Template Parents and Legal Guardians Can Send to School Principals About COVID-19 and Other Vaccines. Advocacy BC. Retrieved from: https://advocacybc.blogspot.com/2021/09/sample-template-parents-and-legal.html
Introduction
For background on why I have created this sample Template that parents and legal guardians' can copy and paste and send to school principals and vice principals of their childrens' schools via email, fax, mail, or drop off please see the following article:
Changes to 'Mature Minor Consent' in BC: Kids Under 12 might be asked to consent to COVID-19 vaccines. Advocacy BC. Retrieved from: https://advocacybc.blogspot.com/2021/09/changes-to-mature-minor-consent-in-bc.html.
Sample Template Parents and Legal Guardians Can Send to School Principals About COVID-19 and Other Vaccines
How To Send This Formal Correspondence
- Send this correspondence, dated and signed, to the attention of the school principal and vice principal at your child/ren’s school, in the following ways so that you have documentary evidence this was sent:
1. By email with a Read Receipt (if possible).
2. By fax and keep the Transmission sheet confirming it was sent.
3. Send by mail, by Registered Mail, or courier
4. Request a written confirmation and response from the recipient.
Communicate the following to the school administrators
Date
Attention: Name of Principal and Vice Principal, School Name
Re: COVID-19 Vaccines and Other Immunizations at School/On School
Property
I am the Parent and Legal Guardian of [insert your child/ren’s names]
who attends [insert school name] in the [insert name] School District.
I am sending you this formal written notice and communication so
that we are all clear on my expectations as the Parent and Legal Guardian who
is sending my children to school where they are under your care under the
School Act.
Legal Guardianship of Minors in B.C.
The B.C. government says this on their website: "A guardian is responsible for their child’s care and upbringing. Only a guardian may have parental responsibilities and parenting time."
Parental responsibilities
Parental responsibilities are the responsibilities guardians have when raising a child, including:
- Daily decisions made when you are caring for the child
- Important decisions like those related to education, religion, and medical treatment
- Receiving information (including about health and education) about the child from others, and
- Protecting the child’s legal and financial interests
BC’s Child Protection Legislation, the Child, Family, and Community
Services Act (CFCSA) states the following:
Part 1 — Introductory Provisions
Sec. 1, Definitions and interpretation
"child" means a person under 19 years of age and
includes a youth;
"custody" includes care and guardianship of a child;
"guardianship" includes all the
rights, duties and responsibilities of a parent;
"health care" means anything that is
done for a therapeutic, preventive, palliative, diagnostic, cosmetic or other
health related purpose, and includes a course of health care;
Sec. 2, Guiding principles
2 This Act must be interpreted
and administered so that the safety and well-being of children are the
paramount considerations and in accordance with the following principles:
(a)children are entitled to be
protected from abuse, neglect and harm or threat of harm;
(b)a family is the preferred
environment for the care and upbringing of children and the responsibility for
the protection of children rests primarily with the parents;
(b.1)Indigenous families and
Indigenous communities share responsibility for the upbringing and well-being
of Indigenous children;
Sec. 4, Best interests of child (excerpt)
4 (1)Where there is a reference in this Act to the best interests of a
child, all relevant factors must be considered in determining the child's best
interests, including for example:
(b)the child's physical and emotional needs and level of development;
(d)the quality of the
relationship the child has with a parent or other person and the effect of
maintaining that relationship;
Sources: Government of B.C.
(1996). Child, Family, and Community Services Act (CFCSA). Retrieved from: https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/00_96046_01.
Government of B.C. What Does It Mean to Be a Guardian. Retrieved from: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/life-events/divorce/family-justice/family-law/parenting-apart/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-guardian.
1. I do not consent to [insert your child/ren’s names] speaking with any
employees from the Health Authority, or any other organizations, about immunizations, including COVID-19 vaccines without me, or another adult I formally designate to be present for these discussions.
2. I do not consent to [insert your child/ren’s names] receiving a COVID-19
vaccine, or any other immunization from any Health Authority, or any other individual, while they are at
school, and on school property. My children attend school to learn, receive an
education, and participate in school-based activities and community. I do not send my children
to school to receive health care. Those are clear boundaries that must be
respected and honoured since they arise out of my Legal Guardianship role of my
child/children under the laws of B.C.
3. Failure to follow and respect my Explicit Non-consent, as is my legal
right as the Parent and Legal Guardian of [insert your child/ren’s names], may,
or could result in possible legal action, which could include a civil action, or
class action against you, the principal and/or other administrators of this school; the
school district; and/or others who may have been parties to administering medical
and health interventions to my child/children without my explicit consent, or
knowledge and/or against my explicit non-consent for medical/health care treatment of my child.
4. If my child/children were to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, or any other
immunization at school without my explicit consent, or knowledge, this may, or
could result in the filing of criminal charges against the parties who were
involved in facilitating these unauthorized health and medical treatments of my minor child.
5. Based on scientific evidence that governments around the world are reporting about Adverse Health reactions and other research about COVID-19 vaccines, including the BC Centre for Disease Control and the Canadian government, as a Parent and Legal Guardian to [insert your child/ren’s names], I have determined that it is best to take precaution and eliminate the risk of [insert your child/ren’s names] experiencing an Adverse Health reaction from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. This risk could, or may be higher than the risk of my child experiencing COVID-19. This Informed Consent risk-benefit-alternatives analysis and assessment and decision-making process is within my legal rights to determine as a parent and guardian. This is especially the case because COVID-19 vaccines remain in clinical trials and are experimental and the full impacts on developmental and long-term outcomes are unknown at this time.
[Note: You may add, or delete this part if it doesn't apply: My child has already had COVID-19 and recovered. The most-up-to-date scientific evidence indicates that my child now has natural immunity from COVID-19 and this is also transferred to exposure to other coronavirus strains. This is an important part of my Informed Consent risk-benefit analysis and assessment regarding my child receiving an experimental vaccine whose full developmental and long-term outcomes are unknown at this time after already having COVID-19].
My Informed Consent decision-making process is grounded in
evidence-based science and the clinical opinions and expert testimony of many medical doctors and
researchers around the world. As noted above, it is my legal right as the Parent and Legal
Guardian of [insert your child/ren’s names] to make Informed Consent decisions regarding the health and medical treatments my child may receive. It is also my legal right to be informed and be provided with information about these matters from adults who might approach, or administer health and medical care and treatments to my child/ren in any setting, including their school.
The Canadian COVID-19 Care Alliance (CCCA) has established an evidence-based scientific perspective on children and youth and COVID-19 vaccines, which I am in agreement with, which states the following:
"There is no immediate threat from COVID-19 to children and young adults. Where our children are concerned it is necessary that we follow a precautionary principle."
The CCCA Guide for Children and COVID-19 vaccines can be found here:
Link: https://www.canadiancovidcarealliance.org/media-resources/children-and-covid-19-vaccines-full-guide/
My Assessment of Informed Consent Capacity For My Child
Based on my knowledge and understanding of my child/children and their cognitive, developmental, mental and physical health and medical needs, and their age and stage of development, I have determined that [insert your child/ren’s names] does not have the legal capacity to make Informed Consent decisions about immunizations, including the COVID-19 vaccines.
Furthermore, due to the ongoing experimental and clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines, which will continue until at least 2020/2023, as a cautious, prudent, and concerned parent who believes in taking a precautionary approach to experimental health and medical treatments for my child, I am exercising my parental rights under the laws of B.C. to protect and safeguard [insert your child/ren’s names] from the still unknown long-term safety, effectiveness, and Adverse health and developmental impacts on young people from taking the current COVID-19 vaccines, and any vaccines that may be approved in the future.
I expect this communication to be brought to the attention of [insert
your child/ren’s names]’s teacher(s), and any other school district employees who
work with my child. I also expect this communication to be well documented within the school environment, including having this correspondence placed on my child’s
personal file at the school, and wherever health and medical, and other parental/guardian consents are kept at the school.
If you would like to discuss this with me further, my contact
information is below. I trust that we are now clear on what my perspective and
standpoint is as the Parent and Legal Guardian of [insert your child/ren’s
names] regarding COVID-19 vaccines, and other immunizations.
Sincerely,
[Provide contact information]
___________________________________________
Note 1: Save and keep electronic and hard copies of all correspondence sent and received regarding vaccines, and other medical/health treatment discussions backed up.
Note 2: If you have discussions with the principal, teacher, or others, consider recording these calls and ensure you save and keep copies of the audio files from these conversations.
Note 3: Most parents/guardians may want to just stop above this line. However, for those
parents/guardians who want to go a bit further, you may want to add the
following requests.
I am requesting the following information from you as Principal for my
child’s school as this will help inform me about the specific risks of illness my child may be facing at school:
- The numbers of children who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in each school year, 2020 and 2021 at this school.
- The numbers of teachers and other education staff who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in each year, 2020 and 2021 at this school.
- The numbers of teachers and other education staff at this school who have had WorkSafeBC claims accepted for workplace infectious disease claims.
- The numbers of teachers and other education staff at this school who have been on medical leave, or had WorkSafeBC claims accepted for Adverse Health reactions after receiving COVID-19 vaccines.
Note 4: The sample template is not copyrighted and may be used, adapted, and shared.
Copyright © 2021.Tracey Young/Advocacy BC. All Rights Reserved.
__________________________________________________
#BC #bced #bcpoli #bckids #bcfamilies #COVID19 #COVID19vaccines #AdverseHealthEvents #Canada #cdnpoli #DutytoWarn #InformedConsent #NurembergCode #Bioethics #Ethics
No comments:
Post a Comment