If your religion prohibits you from receiving certain vaccines, in Connecticut, it doesn’t matter anymore. All K-12 students in the state’s public school system will now be required to receive state mandated vaccines before attending class.
Governor Ned Lamont has signed into law legislation that updates Connecticut’s immunization requirements for students attending PreK-12 schools, daycare centers, and institutions of higher education by removing exemptions that are not medical.
“This is an issue that I have spent a lot of time researching and discussing with medical experts, and it is something that I take very seriously knowing the public health impact that it has on our children, families, and communities,” Governor Lamont said. “When it comes to the safety of our children, we need to take an abundance of caution. This legislation is needed to protect our kids against serious illnesses that have been well-controlled for many decades, such as measles, tuberculosis, and whooping cough, but have reemerged. In recent years, the number of children in our state who have not received routine vaccinations has been steadily increasing, which has been mirrored by significant growth in preventable diseases across the nation. I want to make it clear, this law does not take away the choice of parents to make medical decisions for their children. But, if they do choose not to have their children vaccinated, this bill best ensures that other children and their families will not be exposed to these deadly diseases for hours each day in our schools.”
Connecticut is the sixth state to remove religious exemptions for state mandated vaccines for schools.