Is it true that vaccines are not mandatory in school?

Question

This news article on GWU claims that vaccines are not mandatory by law in the Canadian province of Ontario. It further details how to avoid vaccine regulations that clearly keep the community safe. Is it true that students can keep attending school without being vaccinated? 

https://getwokeup.com/how-to-fight-student-vaccine-mandates/

Answer 1

All states in the US have established laws that require specific vaccines that students must receive in order to attend school. However, all states also allow for exemptions from required school vaccinations for children that are not able to receive vaccines due to medical reasons, or for those who have religious objections. Some states even allow philosophical exemptions from vaccines. Even though, states require vaccines for students in public schools, they also let a good amount of students go exempt for vaccines for different personal reasons. 

https://www.ncsl.org/health/state-non-medical-exemptions-from-school-immunization-requirements

https://vaccines.procon.org

Comments

I liked your factcheck because it went above and beyond just proving it to be false. You went into detail about exemptions that disprove this claim. I also think that the sources you included were overall pretty good, though I wondered why you added the procon.org when you didn't really get to cite it in your factcheck.

Answer 2

The claim "Vaccines are not mandatory in school" is false, and the article listed from GWU! is heavily laden with opinions and propaganda against vaccines from the author, making it misleading. According to Immunize Canada, immunizations are not mandatory in Canada. However, in Ontario and New Brunswick, proof of immunization is required for children to attend school. Immunize Canada states that vaccine exemptions can be made only in the case of medical or ideological reasons. They also state that children who are not immunized may be asked to stay home from school or childcare facilities in the event of an outbreak until said outbreak is over. 

The Eastern Ontario Health Unit also states that under the Immunization of School Pupils Act, parents must submit valid proof of immunization or appropriate exemption documents if their children go to school in Ontario. There are ways for parents to get the proper approval for vaccine exemption if they have medical, philosophical, or religious reasons for their children to not be vaccinated. However, if no information is submitted, there is a possibility of parental notices followed by student suspension should information still not be submitted. If an exemption is submitted, students missing vaccinations may be suspended during disease outbreaks. 

Sources: https://immunize.ca/immunization-mandatory-canada 

https://eohu.ca/en/my-health/immunization-requirements-for-children-in-school

Answer 3

The article makes a lot of very opinion based claims that they don't back up anywhere. However, the statement "vaccines are not mandatory by law in the Canadian provenance of Ontario" is in fact correct as stated in their official laws on the government of Ontarios website: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90i01. 

Answer 4

The article How to Fight Student Vaccine Mandates from GWU! is highly opinionated and overtly misleading in the information surrounding "loopholes" found specifically in Ontario public school vaccine mandates. While it is true exemptions are given to Ontario students who receive a medical exemption from a doctor or nurse practitioner or religious exemption, these circumstances are not only rare, but come with large amounts of time and paperwork on behalf of the parents. 

According to ontario.ca, parents wishing to exempt their children from receiving vaccines due to religious circumstances must first inform their local public health unit, watch a video on vaccine education, and complete a form stating their wishes to exempt their child and have it signed by a commissioner for taking affidavits in Ontario. 

So, while it is true that some children in Ontario may be exempt from receiving necessary vaccines, in general, it is rare. The article from GWU! also uses highly biased language in calling the mandatory vaccine education video a "brainwashing session," and doctor's who refuse to sign off on unnecessary exemptions "cowardly." Overall, this GWU! article should not be considered a trusted source on the subject of vaccine mandates. 

Answer 5

The claim that states “Vaccines are not mandatory in school” is false and exaggerated/misleading. The author of the GWU article made many opinion-based claims about vaccines and therefore created a feeling of misguided information. Calling exemptions “loopholes” is simply inaccurate because to get an exemption, one must fill out large amounts of paperwork which takes time and effort. You will also have to connect with your healthcare provider (if you wish to have a medical exemption). Or you will complete an immunization education session if you wish to have a non-medical exemption for your child, which is under the Immunization of School Pupils Act.

 According to the “Immunization Requirements for Children in School” to be enrolled in school in Ontario, you must have the proper immunization. If you fail to do so, your child will be suspended from school until they receive the appropriate vaccines. It is possible to be exempted from taking vaccines in Ontario under the following conditions. You may get a medical exemption only if they are unable to be immunized for medical reasons (form down below). They may also get a philosophical or religious exemption, which they may apply for (link down below). But it is also stated that when an outbreak appears, you may be asked to keep your child at home until the said outbreak is over.

Medical exemption form (for additional information): https://forms.mgcs.gov.on.ca/en/dataset/014-4895-64

Philosophical or Religious exemption form (parent can fill out): https://forms.mgcs.gov.on.ca/en/dataset/014-4897-64

Source used: https://eohu.ca/en/my-health/immunization-requirements-for-children-in-school

Answer 6

Although it is true that in Canada vaccines are technically not mandatory by law, Ontario schools still require that students are vaccinated. While there are exemptions, such as medical or religious purposes, the data which this article cites as an increased mistrust in vaccination is actually taken from a poll which is concerned with the harms of the anti-vax movement. Therefore it is clear that GWU! is manipulating contexts and data to perpetuate their own agenda, versus spreading accurate information to ensure that readers are correctly informed about vaccine regulations. GWU! is concerned with encouraging readers to manipulate and work around vaccine regulations, no matter what those may be.

https://angusreid.org/canada-vaccines-childhood-vaccinations-anti-vax-mandates-covid-19-flu-mmr-side-effects/

https://eohu.ca/en/my-health/immunization-requirements-for-children-in-school