Families with unvaccinated children received letters of notice from ICSD stating that they had thirty days to provide adequate explanations of vaccination exemption, and that otherwise, their child would not be allowed to go to school. As part of the New York State exemption policy for vaccinations, families must provide either medical proof that receiving a vaccination would be detrimental to their child’s well-being, or an explanation of why their religious beliefs do not allow for vaccinations.
At recent Board of Education (BoE) meetings, some parents have brought up the issue of students not being allowed to go to school due to the fact that they have not received NYS-mandated vaccinations. So far, four families have spoken at the board meetings, advocating for religious exemptions. Of the four families that spoke out about their struggles with this issue, all of their religious exemptions have been denied. Most of them also applied for an acquittal, but were once again denied.
All the families stated that they feel as though their religious beliefs are not being respected or viewed as legitimate; they specifically addressed the Board, asking, “What right does a school principal have to question our religious beliefs?” Families also questioned the process of religious exemption, noting that slow procedural processes sometimes can take up to eight months. The children, who are not allowed to go to school, are not given private home tutors but are still expected to keep up with their academics. These absences are also counted as unexcused, which has led to parents being contacted by Child Protective Services for children with twenty or more unexcused absences. Parents also maintained that children are often excluded socially as well as educationally because of their religious beliefs.
In response to these claims, the BoE has upheld the value of vaccines. The board members say that the well-being of the entire ICSD population is more important than allowing for a few children to not be vaccinated. Moreover, multiple parents of ICSD students have contacted the board and other district officials to express their concern over their children attending school with children who are not protected from harmful illnesses. When individuals do not receive vaccinations, they threaten the lives of younger children who do not have well-developed immune systems, and they pose a threat to all students by exposing them to possibly stronger strains of vaccination-prevented illnesses. As a whole, the board has asserted their belief in respecting religious beliefs, but not at the cost of endangering the lives of children in ICSD.