Almost 7,000 area high school students face suspension over vaccines

Region of Waterloo Public Health has issued 6,819 suspension orders for high school students whose vaccine records are not up to date.

That’s more than double the number of elementary students in the region who faced suspension this year.

The Immunization of School Pupils Act requires all elementary and high school students to have proof of several specific vaccinations, or a valid exemption, on file with Public Health. Public Health can issue school suspension orders, which can last up to 20 days and which schools are required by law to enforce.

If Public Health has still not received up-to-date vaccination records or valid exemptions before Tuesday, April 30 at 4:30 p.m., secondary students will be suspended from school starting the next day.

Elementary students had an earlier deadline of March 26 to provide proof of vaccination or a valid exemption. Nearly 3,000 elementary students were suspended in March after months of reminders and warnings from Public Health. A total of 410 elementary students remain suspended as of Monday.

“While we continue to work with families to resolve the remaining elementary school suspensions, we urge secondary school student families who have received a suspension notice to act quickly to ensure vaccination records are updated before May 1,” said Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, the region’s medical officer of health, in a news release. “Students who are not vaccinated are at an increased risk of severe infections and spreading them to others.”

In January, Region of Waterloo Public Health sent 10,425 suspension notices to high school students whose vaccination records were not up to date with Public Health. Thousands of students have since acted to update their vaccines.

Most of the high school students not up-to-date on their vaccinations are missing one or both of the meningococcal ACYW-135 vaccine or their teen booster of tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap), a booster shot required 10 years after the previous dose (usually given between four and six years of age).

To avoid a suspension, parents can book an appointment or submit updated records at regionofwaterloo.ca/vaccines, or submit a valid medical or statement of conscience exemption online or in person.

During the pandemic, vaccination rates for school-aged children dropped. Routine vaccinations provide protection against measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, meningococcal, pertussis (whooping cough) and varicella (chickenpox).

The last time the immunization act was enforced in Waterloo Region was in 2019, when about 1,549 elementary and secondary students were suspended.