Biden admin suggested states coerce students into vaccination by ‘leveraging athletics and extracurriculars’

Parental rights advocate Megan Eileen posted emails on Twitter detailing the scheme, saying, "Public record emails show the Biden administration wanted to 'leverage' school sports and activities to coerce vaccination amongst students." She obtained the records via a Freedom of Information Act Request.

In the newly uncovered emails, Biden's Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Education for School Reopening and Recovery Nick Simmons sent multiple emails in August of 2021, all either to or CCing then-deputy chief of staff for Governor Tom Wolf and current acting secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Eric Hagerty.

The emails were about Pennsylvania's plan to host the school vaccination clinics and how they could coerce students into getting the shot. Other parties on the emails were senior officials from Mayor Tom Wolf's staff, high-ranking Pennsylvania education officials, and members of Biden's Department of Education.

“We have seen leveraging athletics and extracurriculars as a way to boost youth vaccination as an effective tactic across the county," Simmons told Hagerty in one email.

In another, Simmons told Tracey Dukert, the former communications director for PA's Department of Education, that "Sports and extracurriculars as an important factor for why young people should get vaccinated- they don’t want to jeopardize forfeiting games or missing performances and competitions."

According to parental rights advocate Eileen, "they used the threat of students missing games due to Covid-19 exposure and long quarantines."

Eileen also said, "They even recommended using other students to help coerce their classmates," with this, "Have you considered inviting a few HS football players, coaches, and other types of athletes to the event? Data has shown this is one of the biggest messages that has been moving youth vaccine numbers."

Simmons wrote his "players, coaches, and other types of athletes" email to Kevin Hensil the Director Of Media Relations for Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education.

Eileen concluded with, "These were all tactics to be used at schools and these emails include Eric Hagarty, who is now Pennsylvania’s current Secretary of Education. Pennsylvania parents: if you value parental rights, vote for @dougmastriano."

The coordination Eileen describes originated in Biden and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona's plan to implement school-based vaccination clinics across the country.

As Simmons wrote to Hagerty, "The Secretary [of Education] would be happy to join Governor Wolf for a new state initiative and call to action in Pennsylvania for all districts to host a school-based vaccine clinic."

"President Biden along with Secretary Cardona in addition to calling for every school district to host a vaccine clinic," Simmons said, adding "introduced a slew of initiatives on youth vaccinations the Administration will be making."

Simmon's role was described in a press release as "coordinating efforts on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education to safely reopen schools across the country and help school communities recover from the detrimental impacts on student learning from the COVID-19 pandemic."