Keep Florida classrooms healthy: protect school immunizations.
This site compiles primary sources—CDC, MMWR, AAP, Florida statutes—to document why eliminating school-entry immunization requirements would harm students and families.
Last updated October 19, 2025 • Educational resource, not medical advice.
Why schools need vaccines
Vaccination prevents outbreaks, reduces missed school days, and protects medically fragile classmates.
What Florida is proposing
State officials announced plans to end vaccine requirements; many changes require rulemaking or legislation.
How this affects your child
Lower coverage increases risk of measles and other diseases returning to classrooms.
Why school vaccines matter
Short, sourced points you can verify.
Prevent outbreaks
Two doses of MMR provide ~97% protection against measles in school settings. CDC
Coverage dips → measles returns
CDC MMWR warns declining school-age coverage allows measles to resurge. MMWR
Economic & health payoff
Routine childhood vaccines produce large health and cost savings nationally. CDC (econ)
Florida Policy Tracker
Timeline of announcements, rules, and legislative steps.
Public statements signal ending mandates; implementation depends on agency rulemaking and the Legislature.
Targeted rule changes undergo notice/comment; broader eliminations likely require statute changes.
Any sweeping statutory change would move through bills, committees, and floor votes.
Evidence Library
Primary sources only—replace links with official docs.
CDC on school vaccination & outbreaks
MMR prevents measles outbreaks in school settings; ~97% protection after 2 doses.
MMWR: Declining coverage risks measles return
CDC surveillance summaries warn that dips in coverage enable outbreaks.
Florida statute §1003.22
Current law outlining immunization documentation for school attendance.
AAP policy & statements
AAP supports school requirements and warns that broad exemptions erode safety.
Economic benefits of vaccination
Routine childhood vaccines yield large health and cost savings (1994–2023 cohorts).
Florida measles cluster (Broward County, 2024)
Case study showing classroom vulnerability when immunity gaps appear.
Classroom Impact
What outbreaks mean for students, families, and schools.
Attendance & learning loss
Outbreaks trigger exclusions and absences, disrupting instruction and family schedules.
Protecting medically fragile peers
Some students can’t be vaccinated; high coverage shields them via community immunity.
Special education considerations
Disruptions hit therapies and services disproportionately when classrooms close.
Myths vs Facts
Keep it short and link each fact to a primary source.
Measles is mild; kids recover easily.
Measles can cause pneumonia, encephalitis, hospitalization, and death—especially in unvaccinated children. Source
Dropping school requirements won’t change coverage.
Mandates reliably increase uptake; removing them lowers coverage and raises outbreak risk. Source
Herd immunity isn’t relevant in schools.
Classrooms are dense contact networks; high coverage protects kids who can’t be vaccinated. Source
Viewpoints
Joseph Mizereck Op-Ed (Nov 2025) Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo calls vaccine mandates “immoral” and likens them to “slavery.” This op-ed pushes back: the real immorality is exposing medically fragile children, infants, and pregnant teachers to preventable diseases in compulsory school settings. read more
Joseph Mizereck, a Florida activist and parent, opposes eliminating school vaccine mandates, arguing they’ve long protected kids from diseases like measles and shielded the medically vulnerable. Citing CDC data and 2024 Broward measles cases, the piece warns removal risks outbreaks and public health. He urges contacting legislators, sharing CDC/AAP resources, and joining advocacy at WillChildrenSuffer.com and on facebook. read more
The American Medical Association (AMA), via Trustee Sandra Fryhofer, MD, strongly opposes Florida’s plan to eliminate all vaccine mandates, including school-entry requirements. This move would reverse decades of public health gains and heighten risks of outbreaks of measles, mumps, polio, and chickenpox—diseases linked to severe illness, disability, and death. The AMA urges Florida to reconsider before implementation... read more
I have seen what chickenpox does to a child. Why is Florida going backward? By Dr. Scott Rivkees, is a pediatrician and professor of practice at the Brown University School of Public Health. He was the Surgeon General and Secretary of Health in Florida. read more
Why measles is resurging - and the rise of vaccine hesitancy, with Adam Ratner
Dr. Adam Ratner explains measles' resurgence after its 2000 U.S. elimination due to declining vaccination rates and rising hesitancy post-COVID. The highly contagious virus (R0 ~14) causes severe complications like pneumonia and immune suppression, risking a deadly comeback. Historical successes—like the 1963 vaccine and 1970 Texarkana mandates—show vaccines' power, but eroding coverage threatens child health gains. Ratner urges clear communication, surveillance, and collective action to restore confidence and prevent outbreaks. Learn moreDoctors Muffled as Florida Moves To End Decades of Childhood Vaccination Mandates
This KFF Health News article details Florida's bold push to dismantle nearly 50 years of school vaccination mandates, led by Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo and Gov. Ron DeSantis. Announced on September 3, 2025, the plan targets requirements for vaccines against measles, polio, hepatitis B, and more, framing them as "slavery" while prioritizing parental choice. Learn morePractical steps for Florida Citizens to defend evidence-based school health policies.
As a group of over 1,000 Florida physicians, representing the medical community across the state, we urgently call on officials to preserve existing vaccine requirements for school attendance and in other high-risk settings. The recent announcement by the Surgeon General proposing their removal jeopardizes the hard-won gains in community disease prevention and threatens to undo decades of progress.” See letter read moreCall to Action
Pratical steps for Florida Citizens to defund evidence-based school health policies.
This concise action guide urges Florida citizens to protect school immunization requirements by contacting state lawmakers (via MyFloridaHouse.gov and FLSenate.gov), calling or emailing Governor DeSantis, speaking at local school board or PTA meetings, and sharing trusted resources from the CDC, AAP, and Florida Department of Health. read moreThis site provides educational information and citations to public health and legal sources. It is not individual medical advice. For care decisions, please consult a licensed clinician. For school policy questions, contact your district and the Florida Department of Health.
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