Oregon parents have until February 19 to have their children up-to-date on their immunizations or claim an exemption.
The Oregon Health Authority calls it “School Exclusion Day.” By February 19, parents of children in school or day care must submit proof that their child’s vaccinations are current, or else claim one of the allowable exemptions.
Children whose parents don’t submit the paperwork in time won’t be allowed to attend. The agency says last year, more than 4,000 Oregon kids were excluded from school or day care for that reason. Parents whose children are at risk of being excluded were sent a letter from their local public health department about the upcoming deadline.
Oregon law allows vaccine exemptions for both medical and non-medical reasons. Democrats withdrew a bill in the legislature last year that would have ended non-medical exemptions. It came as part of a deal to end a Republican walk-out over an unrelated school funding measure.
