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Teacher and parent urges Hendry County School Board to retain student vaccination requirements
Summary
At public comment, a Hendry County teacher and parent urged the board to keep local vaccination requirements after the Florida Surgeon General announced intentions to end state vaccine mandates; board members said state action was not yet final and district policies still require immunization.
Josh Wharton, a Hendry County teacher and parent, addressed the board during the public-comment portion of the Oct. 21 meeting to urge the district to retain its student vaccination requirements in light of a recent state-level announcement.
"I'm speaking up in opposition to the Florida Surgeon General's announcement of plans to no longer require state vaccine mandates for public school children," Wharton said. He argued that vaccines protect public health and asked the board to reaffirm the district's current requirements.
Wharton cited the district strategic plan and district policy PO 5320, which requires student health examinations and immunizations and allows the county health director to declare communicable-disease emergencies that can temporarily exclude unimmunized students. He said those policies were adopted to "prevent and protect" the school community and warned that reducing vaccine requirements could harm students and staff.
Board members and district staff responded that the state's announcement (described in the meeting as an "intention") did not immediately change district requirements. A board member said, "At this juncture vaccines are still required in schools. Our policies still stand. ... if it were to become [state law], we would have to revise our policies." The board member added that the surgeon general's statement is likely to require legislative action before becoming binding statewide.
A staff member reminded the board that the Florida Department of Health and state statute allow parents to request medical or religious exemptions under established procedures; the board noted the district currently has a small number of exemptions and that vaccination rates remain high.
No board action was taken on vaccination policy during the meeting.
