Misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccinations has been dangerously widespread. In another shocking blow to public health, one Miami private school is warning its teachers not to get vaccinated. Yes, you read that right.
While teachers, who are in a far more at-risk position than many, have been scrambling to get the vaccine so they can keep themselves (and others) safe while back in the classroom, Centner Academy just told its teachers that if they get the shot, they won't be welcome back at school.
“We cannot allow recently vaccinated people to be near our students until more information is known,” the administration wrote in a letter to teachers. They also cited misinformation, writing, “reports have surfaced recently of non-vaccinated people being negatively impacted by interacting with people who have been vaccinated."
Sidenote: This school costs about $30,000 a year for full-time students. Let that settle in for a minute.
The troubling email was written by Leila Centner, one of the school's cofounders. While COVID-19 vaccines have been proven to be safe, minus extremely rare side effects that pose any actual health risks, the email pushed the false claims. First the misinformation was sent to teachers, then to parents in a subsequent letter.
In the second letter, Leila Centner fearmongered parents. She cited misinformation about the vaccine's impacts on fertility and menstruation in women and girls. She also suggested that vaccinated people “may be transmitting something” to unvaccinated people.
This is not totally off the mark for Centner Academy. The school has advocated for parents to be able to send their children to school without vaccinating them in the past. The administration also identifies themselves as "health freedom advocates." Now some prominent anti-vax advocates are endorsing the school's decision.
One of those anti-vaxxers is Christiane Northrup, an obstetrics and gynecology physician who promotes alternative medicine. She took to Facebook to praise the school's letter, along with a photo. In it are she and Kelly Brogan, who runs an alternative health website.
"Spent some time with Kelly Brogan, MD, one of my soul sisters and a fellow warrior," she wrote. "We both have children ( grandchildren in my case) who go to the Centner Academy, a miraculous school in Miami. We are keeping the vibration of joy and grounding as high as we possibly can!"
Both of these women have done a lot of damage when it comes to public health. They've spread tons of misinformation online. Last month, they were identified in a report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate and Anti-Vax Watch as one of 12 individuals, in the “Disinformation Dozen,” who were responsible for spreading up to 65% of coronavirus misinformation online.
Misinformation spreading online like wildfire has been an issue for years. But it has perhaps never been such a massive issue than it is today with public health being so precarious and people relying solely on social media to get their news. Facebook has come under fire since COVID-19 for allowing the continuous sharing of falsehoods on the site.
While the spreading of misinformation is frustrating, what's most frightening about this situation is that it is putting the lives of children and their families at risk. Of course, there has been a major backlash from parents who send their kids to the school. But it's unclear yet if that will change what the founders have laid out for the teachers.
As of now, they have two options: to either remain distanced from students if they have already received a coronavirus vaccine or delay vaccination and teach in person.
