Florida has moved to remove four childhood vaccines from its state school requirements.
Under a proposal from the state’s health department, children in the state would no longer be required to receive the hepatitis B, varicella (chickenpox), Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines to attend school or daycare.
The proposal would also broaden religious exemptions to vaccinations, allowing parents to opt out of vaccine requirements for any ‘moral and ethical’ beliefs. Parents and college students would also be able to object to having their information shared with a statewide vaccination database.
The change would not prevent parents from getting their children the vaccines, which are recommended by pediatric groups.
In an executive order earlier this month, President Donald Trump also backed three of the four vaccines targeted by the proposal, saying parents should continue to immunize their children against chickenpox, Hib and pneumococcal disease.
The current requirement in Florida that all children are vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), polio, diphtheria and tetanus to attend schools would remain in place.
The proposal comes nearly a year after Florida Surgeon General Dr Joseph Ladapo announced the state’s intent to eliminate school vaccine requirements. While he did not specify certain shots at the time, he said he would end ‘all of them.’
He said at the time: ‘Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery.’
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo (pictured alongside Governor Ron DeSantis) has voiced plans to eliminate several of the state’s vaccine mandates
The proposal in Florida now enters a 21-day public comment period. Afterward, lawmakers will review responses and come to a decision on the proposal.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has criticized the move.
‘When everyone in a school is vaccinated, it’s harder for diseases to spread, and easier for everyone to keep the fun and learning going,’ AAP President Dr Susan J Kressly said in a statement.
‘When children are sick and miss school, parents also miss work, which not only impacts those families, but also the local economy. We are concerned that today’s announcement … will put children in Florida public schools at higher risk for getting sick, and have ripple effects across their community.’
Dr Eehab Kenaway, a Panama City, Florida, pediatrician, said religious exemptions already allow parents to opt out of vaccinations.
‘You’re not forced. But sending a message to the general public that vaccines are not important, vaccines are not needed, is not the way to do it,’ he said.
Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas has voiced support for eliminating the four requirements, stating the changes would give parents more choice.
The proposed rule is part of an ongoing effort by Florida lawmakers to loosen requirements.
Last month, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier warned private Catholic schools that they needed to allow religious exemptions from vaccine requirements as required by state law, otherwise they may be disqualified from scholarships and vouchers.
‘As a Catholic, I am confident that the teachings of the Catholic Church do not require Catholic schools to compel students to take vaccines derived from the tissue of aborted children,’ Uthmeier wrote to the state’s Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The above CDC map shows vaccination coverage for kindergarteners by state for the 2025-2026 school year
CDC data shows 92.4 percent of kindergarteners have gotten both doses of the MMR vaccine, down from 95 percent during the 2019-2020 school year
There is no scientific evidence that any vaccines used in the US contain aborted fetal tissue or cells.
In an August 7 letter to Uthmeier, the bishops argued that there is no religious reason for parents to opt out of vaccinating their children.
‘Any insinuation that a government official can dictate to the Catholic Church (or any religion) how to apply her tenets and dogma, violates well-established constitutional religious freedom rights,’ Michael B Sheedy, executive director of the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, wrote.
‘We are prepared to protect our students, defend our rights and preserve religious freedom.’
‘When children are sick and miss school, parents also miss work, which not only impacts those families, but also the local economy. We are concerned that today’s announcement … will put children in Florida public schools at higher risk for getting sick, and have ripple effects across their community.’
The move comes as childhood vaccination rates nationwide plummet and exemptions for religious, medical and other personal reasons increase.
The latest CDC data shows 92.4 percent of kindergarteners have received both doses of the MMR and polio vaccines, and 92 percent have gotten the DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis). This is down from 95 percent across all three vaccines during the 2019-2020 school year.
Nationwide MMR exemptions are also on the rise at 4.2 percent, up 17 percent from 1.6 percent just over a decade ago.
In Florida, 89 percent of kindergarteners have had both MMR doses, down 4.6 percent from the 2019-2020 school year. The state’s exemption rate is six percent, up 2.5 percent from 2019-2020.
The CDC estimates vaccines have prevented 508 million lifetime illnesses, 32 million hospitalizations and 1.1 million deaths in children born between 1994 and 2023.
