In the United States, student-athletes at public high schools are struggling to get college scholarships due to the Covid-19 vaccine mandates being forced on the masses. Politico reported that student-athletes studying in Los Angeles, Washington D.C, New York City, Chicago and other cities with public schools are being affected.

Baltimore is another city where a vaccine mandate had been put in place, according to the Baltimore Sun. High school student-athletes in Baltimore County must provide proof of vaccination by November 24th or face weekly testing to be eligible for their sports.

The Baltimore County Parent and Student Coalition, a group of parents, teachers and other community members advocating for change in the Baltimore County school system, said that the mandate is unfairly targeting athletes.

In a Facebook message, coalition member Amy Adams told the Western Journal that requiring athletes to get vaccinated or be tested weekly is discriminatory.

“If it is a true public health concern, why not require all students to get the COVID vaccine or submit to weekly testing?”

She also pointed out that it is not the first time student-athletes in the school district have been unfairly treated during the pandemic, which greatly affected everyday life.

After the sports season was cancelled in autumn 2020, Adams said that the Baltimore County school board voted to allow a modified sports season in the spring. However, the board later reverse course and barred spring sports from taking place. At that point, the coalition started a campaign called “Let Us Play,” which gained steam on local news stations such as WBAL-TV.

“Being active is important,” Adams said. “Being part of a community and a group is important. There was no data to show that youth sports were negatively impacting case rates around the country when other systems were — some systems were fully functional last year.”

Adams stated that the lack of logic caused her the most concern about the vaccine mandates for student-athletes. “All sports have been running since Aug. 11, and based on the schools’ data dashboard, there have not been big outbreaks,” she said. “Most of the outbreaks honestly are in the elementary level is the way that they’re identifying it.”

She noted that older and more overweight people are at the most risk of serious disease from COVID-19, but these student-athletes are both young and relatively healthy. For those reasons, she thinks getting the vaccine should be a choice rather than a requirement.