Senator Pennacchio (R-26) released the following statement on S-1273:

In a statement about S-2173, Sen. Joe Pennacchio said the bill is unfair to poor and minority children whose parents cannot afford to send them to private schools. (SenateNJ.com)

“S-2173 was amended in the legislature yesterday to allow for private schools to opt out of the vaccine mandate.  Regardless how one feels about the issue of vaccinations, when it comes to children we should be in agreement that all laws must be equally applied.  Children should not be an exception – poor, urban, mostly minority children will be forced to abide by one set of rules that does not apply to children whose parents can afford to send them to private schools.

“The Supreme Court decided long ago that a child’s educational experience cannot be ‘separate but equal.’  Public policy that applies to one must apply to all. S-2173 was doomed to the ash heap of ill-conceived legislation.  However, to curry favor and an additional vote, the bill was amended to carve out a private school exemption.  This made a bad bill even worse and a more dubious one.

“Since when do we remove the parental rights of one group of our citizens at the expense of another, based on ability to pay?  S-2173’s legislative life should come to an immediate end.  Our children deserve better.”