On Thursday, a group of students at Fremont High School spoke to Thurmond, about how the pandemic impacted them.
[Ads /]
RELATED: Stanford researchers may have answer to why COVID patients develop 'brain fog'
"A lot of my family members did lose their jobs as well, so that was something that was harsh on me because I had to hear all their problems and how they suffered and that's what I don't want. So having this vaccine has made me stronger," said Siurave Quintanilla-Vasquez, a junior at Fremont High School.
Thurmond was at Fremont High to visit a vaccine clinic at the school and call for all students 12 and older to get vaccinated.
"We've got a lot of work to do to ensure that all of our students get a vaccine who are eligible to do so, so we can ensure a safe return to in-person instruction," said Thurmond.
But what about teachers?
San Francisco Unified School District told ABC7 they're discussing the possibility of mandatory vaccines for staff. So far, SFUSD says 3,800 staff members, which is almost 40% of the district staff, have voluntarily confirmed they're vaccinated.
Kate Larsen: "Is it possible that all California school staff and eventually students could be required to get a COVID vaccine?"
Tony Thurmond: "Any requirement would have to come from a legislative act. That has not been introduced in our legislature."
RELATED: Nearly all COVID-19 deaths in US are now among people who weren't vaccinated
[Ads /]
At the state level, Thurmond says there has been no discussion about requiring COVID vaccines in schools, once they're fully approved by the FDA.
Student, Aundrya Ishaq-Carter, is vaccinated herself but is not sure she wants anyone to be forced into getting the shot.
"I would feel good about it, but at the same time if students are not comfortable getting vaccinated, then you can't force them," said Ishaq-Carter.
The vaccine clinic at Fremont High School is open to anyone on Thursdays from 3 p.m.-7 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
VACCINE TRACKER: How California is doing, when you can get a coronavirus vaccine
Having trouble loading the tracker above? Click here to open it in a new window.
RELATED STORIES & VIDEOS:
[Ads /]
- Cheat sheet: What you can and can't do after being fully vaccinated
- Everything to know about your 2nd Pfizer or Moderna shot
- Can a workplace require the coronavirus vaccine? Here's what we found
- CA COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker: See your status here
- Map shows every Bay Area vaccination site
- These CA counties are way ahead in vaccinations
- MAP: See how many people are vaccinated in your ZIP code
- How to register for a COVID-19 vaccine in every Bay Area county