Florida’s Children Deserve Protection, Not Politics

By Joseph Mizereck — Community Activist, Educator, and Parent

When Florida officials announced plans to eliminate school-entry vaccine requirements, many of us in the community felt the same sinking fear. Not fear of government — fear for our children.

For decades, Florida’s school immunization laws have quietly protected our classrooms. They helped eliminate diseases that once spread unchecked: measles, mumps, rubella, whooping cough, and others. These laws weren’t about control — they were about compassion. They were a shared promise that every child deserves to attend a safe, healthy school.

Now that promise is in danger. Removing these requirements won’t increase freedom — it will increase risk, outbreaks, and unnecessary suffering.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), routine childhood vaccination prevents millions of hospitalizations and tens of thousands of deaths in the United States each year:
CDC Immunization Basics

In schools, vaccination does something even more important — it shields children who cannot be vaccinated because of immune disorders, transplants, or ongoing cancer treatment. When overall coverage drops, those children are left unprotected.

We’ve already seen warning signs. In 2024, the Florida Department of Health in Broward County issued a measles health advisory after several cases forced quarantines and school absences:
Broward Measles Advisory

Nationally, the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) has documented rising measles risk linked to falling kindergarten vaccination coverage:
CDC MMWR Report

Eliminating Florida’s vaccine mandates will not make children freer. It will make them more vulnerable — especially those already medically fragile. It will strain our schools, divide communities, and undo decades of public health progress built on bipartisan trust.

We can respect personal choice while also protecting the public good. That balance is what school immunization requirements were designed to achieve. Removing them entirely isn’t freedom — it’s a dangerous experiment on our own children.

Vaccines remain one of the most effective, evidence-based tools we have. They save lives, preserve learning, and protect the most vulnerable among us.

Take Action

If you agree that Florida’s children deserve classrooms free from preventable illness:

• Contact your legislator and oppose any bill that weakens vaccine protections.
• Share factual information from the CDC, AAP, and Florida law:
• CDC: Immunization Basics
• AAP: Immunization Resources
• Florida Statute §1003.22: School Entry Law
• Join local advocacy efforts that defend evidence-based health policy.

Because this isn’t just about science.
It’s about compassion, responsibility, and the kind of Florida we want our children to inherit.