Newton Schools to Deny Admission to Unvaccinated Students This Fall

Newton Public Schools has released plans to enforce state vaccine requirements for students this upcoming fall. The district stated that it will not admit students into school buildings unless they have up-to-date vaccinations.

In a memo to the School Committee during the week of June 16, Superintendent Anna Nolin said the decision resulted from a review of student vaccination statuses following a recent outbreak of chickenpox.

The Boston Globe reported that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the previous Newton Public Schools superintendent waived student vaccine requirements, as stated in the memo. Newton Health and Human Services and the City of Newton Nursing Division found that, as of the week of June 16, at least 182 students continued to attend school without receiving the appropriate immunizations five years after the pandemic.

What's most concerning to school district officials is that at least 42 students were not fully vaccinated against measles. The lapse in appropriate immunization concerns city officials, especially given recent outbreaks of the disease in areas of the United States, such as Texas, where more than 700 cases of measles have been reported and two children have died.

To comply with state health requirements, Newton Health and Human Services, along with school nurses, will provide vaccines for students, the district stated. Exemptions for immunizations will only be allowed for religious reasons and doctor-approved exemptions for immunocompromised students.

Jonathan Brenner, 59, a pediatrician and parent of a fourth grader, told The Boston Globe that he was surprised it took a long time for Newton Public Schools to notify families about the unvaccinated students. He said he was also unaware of the exemptions that were in place during the pandemic period, which allowed students to enter school without the required vaccines.

“When you have a pocket of unimmunized children, these infectious diseases can spread,” Brenner said. “So I'm fully in support of the reinstatement of these vaccine requirements, and I'm also fully in support of the district's position that they will not allow students back at school in the fall unless they admit the vaccine requirements.”