A federal judge in Louisiana has ruled against three medical students who alleged that a Monroe college violated a previous consent decree allowing the students to continue their studies while unvaccinated for COVID-19.
Judge Terry Doughty of the Western District of Louisiana issued an opinion late last month that concluded Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) did not violate the consent decree approved by the court. The decree allows the school to take “reasonable safety measures” against unvaccinated students.
In a previous ruling, Doughty said medical students Kirsten Willis Hall, Rachel Lynn Magliulo and Matthew Shea Willis had been subject to excessive restrictions because VCOM’s vaccination policy kept the plaintiffs from continuing their studies, in violation of Louisiana law.
The resulting consent decree agreed to by the parties, however, requires the school to provide an avenue for the unvaccinated students to complete their curriculum while allowing safety measures advanced by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to be imposed.
“The language of the consent decree does not meet the specific and definite language that is required to hold a party in contempt,” Doughty wrote in the Jan. 28 opinion. “Since the term ‘reasonable safety measures’ could include such things as masking requirements, testing requirements, quarantine requirements and restrictions on travel, VCOM will not be held in contempt for implementing those measures.”
The current VCOM policy allows students to be unvaccinated and complete their academic requirements, he said.
A VCOM spokeswoman said school officials are pleased by the judge’s opinion and that the students can now focus more fully on their studies.
“VCOM’s concern is, and always has been, for the health of its students, employees and the patients its students see in their early clinical experiences,” Cindy Shepard Rawlins told the Louisiana Record in an email. “By allowing VCOM to implement specified reasonable safety measures, such as masking requirements, testing requirements, quarantine requirements and restrictions on travel, the court has ensured that the college will be able to create a safe environment for students to learn and engage with faculty, staff and fellow students.”
VCOM focuses on graduating physicians who help to meet the needs of rural and underserved populations, according to Rawlins. This is especially important in Louisiana’s Delta region, she said.