White House says decision to enact vaccine mandates for schools up to local school districts

– The White House said on Thursday the decision to enact vaccine mandates for schools is up to local school districts.

“Those decisions related to schools …. will always be up to local school districts in terms of what steps need to be taken,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters.

The White House also said it would continue to make the case for schools to be kept open, including in Chicago, where officials canceled classes in the nation’s third-largest school district on Wednesday amid a dispute with the teachers’ union.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason in Washington, writing by Kanishka Singh, editing by Chris Reese)