Can a Child Go to School Without Being Vaccinated?

There are no US federal vaccinations laws that exist. But all 50 states require that children attending public schools be vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis generally in a DTaP vaccine.

The other vaccinations required for public school children include:

• Polio, an IPV vaccine
• Measles and rubella, usually in an MMR vaccines
• Chickenpox

Even with the vaccinations required, the 50 states allow medical exemptions. Children with medical exemptions must present a statement signed by a doctor. 47 states also allow religious exemptions and 15 states allow philosophical and personal belief exemptions. One of the states that exempts vaccinations based on personal belief is Texas.

In Texas children can go to public school without being vaccinated. It is only California, Mississippi and West Virginia that do not grant religious exemptions. Some states also allow both medical and religious exemptions.

The school districts keep track of the number of vaccinated students in every school. The school districts are restricted from telling parents which kids are vaccinated and which are not under the law.

Simply put, for a child to be enrolled in a public school and even most private schools, every state and DC requires vaccinations for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles and rubella. In other states, children are required to get more vaccines as they grow older but the immunization laws will vary from one state to another.

The state insists on these vaccinations for the sake of the population and mitigating the chance of spreading a disease from one person to another.

Healthy kids are happy kids. All parents start thinking about the cold weather and the many types of illnesses it brings with it. Hand washing is not a great solution alone, especially after school starts.