Executive Order Regarding COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates

On February 15, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order entitled “Keeping Education Accessible and Ending Covid-19 Vaccine Mandates in Schools.”  The order lays out the Trump Administration’s policy to withhold discretionary federal funding from educational institutions that require students to have received the COVID-19 vaccine to attend school in person.  

Specifically, the order directs the Secretary of Education to issue guidance related to “coercive COVID-19 school [vaccine] mandates” in light of existing legal obligations “as soon as practicable.”  It further directs the Secretary of Education to consult with the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a plan to end such mandates within 90 days of the order. 

The plan will include a list of discretionary federal grants and contracts provided to educational institutes that are not compliant with the guidance and a process for preventing federal funds from being provided to non-compliant educational institutions.