Vaccination News: Seattle Public Schools Will Not Accept Unvaccinated Students In 2020

Seattle public schools have set an ultimatum: students must be vaccinated by Jan. 8, or they will not be allowed to return. Speaking with a local news channel, Seattle Public Schools spokesman Tim Robinson said that around 2,000 of the city’s students needed to submit updated immunization records before the deadline.

“We are doing everything we can here -- at this sprint to the finish line -- to get as many students up to date as possible,” Robinson said. “We don't want anybody missing out on any educational time.”

Robinson explained that parents were notified of this situation in letters sent last week. Seattle Public Schools is offering free immunization clinics on Monday and Friday to help as many students as possible get their shots.

“If a student comes to school on the 8th and their records aren't up to date,” Robinson said. “They'll just be held aside, their parents or guardian will be contacted.”

In addition to this, the school will count days missed for not meeting vaccination requirements as unexcused absences.

This ultimatum has been set in accordance with state law. In May, the Washington state government passed a bill that banned the use of personal or philosophical reasons to avoid vaccinating children for measles, mumps, and rubella. This bill was in response to a measles outbreak from earlier in 2019 that resulted in a state of emergency.

“All we want is for all people in our schools to be able to come into school and not worry about getting a disease that is a vaccine-preventable disease,” said Sami Hoag, health services manager for Seattle schools.

There were 140,000 deaths worldwide from complications of measles infections, according to the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.