As the number of measles cases grows nationwide, and scrutiny intensifies for parents who choose not to vaccinate their children, Washington health officials say that more than 300 schools in the state have failed to report immunization-exemption rates as required by law.
Nearly 200 of those are private schools, but more than 100 are public schools that operate using taxpayer money, according to data from the 2013-14 school year released by the state health department.
The schools in question appear to have failed to document how many of their students may be exempt from required vaccinations, citing medical, religious or personal reasons for not getting the shots, the data show. But officials with many schools said they actually have submitted the data and were surprised that the state doesn’t show it.
