Vaccines

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the health and policy aspects of vaccines and vaccination
Left: Republican Sen. Laura Wakim Chapman, chair of the West Virginia Senate Health and Human Resources Committee, holds a map of the U.S. on the Senate floor depicting the states, including West Virginia, that do not allow religious or philosophical exemptions for required school vaccinations on Feb. 21, 2025 in Charleston, West Virginia. Right: West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey speaks during a news conference at the Hubert Humphrey Building Auditorium in Washington on April 22, 2025.
Left: A U.S. map of states without religious or philosophical vaccine exemptions. Right: Republican West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey speaks at a news conference in Washington on April 22, 2025. West Virginia is at the center of the ongoing debate over school vaccine mandates after Morrisey this year issued an executive order requiring religious exemptions.
Left: Will Price/West Virginia Legislature; Right: Jose Luis Magana/AP
Law & Courts With Childhood Vaccination Rates Falling, Debate on Religious Exemptions Grows
There is growing pressure from parents and the Trump administration for exemptions to be expanded. The U.S. Supreme Court could decide.
Mark Walsh, September 17, 2025
10 min read
Anna Hicks prepares a measles, mumps and rubella vaccine at the Andrews County Health Department, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Andrews, Texas.
Florida's governor and surgeon general have announced plans to end the state's vaccine mandates. In this photo, a measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine is prepared at the Andrews County Health Department in Andrews, Texas, on April 8, 2025.
Annie Rice/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Florida Moves to End School Vaccine Mandates. Will Other States Follow?
Florida state leaders announced plans to get rid of all vaccine mandates, including for schools, making it the first state to do so.
Arianna Prothero, September 3, 2025
5 min read
Chanel Ferran Gutierrez, a 10th grade student at Newcomer Academy, prepares to be vaccinated during a pop-up immunization clinic in the school's library in Louisville, Ky., on Aug. 8, 2024.
Chanel Ferran Gutierrez, a 10th grade student at Newcomer Academy, prepares to be vaccinated during a pop-up immunization clinic in the school's library in Louisville, Ky., on Aug. 8, 2024. Sagging student vaccination rates and the highest volume of measles cases in years have prompted fears of outbreaks once students are back in school.
Mary Conlon/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Childhood Vaccinations Are Down. Schools Are Bracing for Outbreaks
But local efforts can put communities in a stronger position to respond to them, a school health expert says.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, August 11, 2025
4 min read
Angela Hayes, a nurse practitioner with Jefferson County Public Schools, prepares vaccines for students at Newcomer Academy in Louisville, Ky., on Aug. 8, 2024.
Angela Hayes, a nurse practitioner with the Jefferson County public schools, prepares vaccines for students at Newcomer Academy in Louisville, Ky., on Aug. 8, 2024.
Mary Conlon/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Why RFK Jr.'s Vaccine Views Matter for Schools
This year could bring significant changes to how school-age kids are protected from many viruses.
Arianna Prothero, July 15, 2025
7 min read
Elsa Estrada, 6, smiles at her mother as pharmacist Sylvia Uong applies an alcohol swab to her arm before administering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a pediatric vaccine clinic for children ages 5 to 11 set up at Willard Intermediate School in Santa Ana, Calif., Nov. 9, 2021.
Elsa Estrada, 6, smiles at her mother as pharmacist Sylvia Uong applies an alcohol swab to her arm before administering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a pediatric vaccine clinic in Santa Ana, Calif., on Nov. 9, 2021. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is no longer recommending annual COVID shots for healthy children.
Jae C. Hong/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement What RFK Jr.'s New COVID Shot Recommendations Could Mean for Students
The health and human services secretary said that annual COVID shots are no longer recommended for healthy children.
5 min read
Vials of the MMR measles mums and rubella virus vaccine are displayed Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas.
Vials of the MMR measles mums and rubella virus vaccine are displayed Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas. As the West Texas measles outbreak grew, a school nurse in Columbus, Ohio, persuaded parents of unvaccinated children at her school to get immunized.
Julio Cortez/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement How a School Nurse Convinced Parents to Vaccinate Their Kids Against Measles
“We know that parents trust not only nurses, but especially school nurses," said Kate King, a school nurse in Columbus, Ohio.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, April 16, 2025
6 min read
Image of a band aid being applied after a vaccination.
iStock/Getty
Student Well-Being & Movement As Measles Outbreak Grows, See How Your State's Vaccination Rate Stacks Up
Outbreaks of once-eradicated diseases, like measles, are becoming more common and severe as childhood vaccination rates decline.
3 min read
A sign is seen outside of Seminole Hospital District offering measles testing, Feb. 21, 2025, in Seminole, Texas.
A sign is seen outside of Seminole Hospital District offering measles testing, Feb. 21, 2025, in Seminole, Texas. The biggest risk from the outbreak is to unvaccinated people, but a small number of people who were vaccinated decades ago might need updated shots to ensure they’re protected.
Julio Cortez/AP
School & District Management Some School Staff Might Need a Measles Booster. Here Is Who's Affected
Some educators could have received their measles shots during a five-year span when an ineffective version was given.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, February 28, 2025
3 min read
Tight cropped photograph of a doctor wearing gloves and filling a syringe with medicine from vial.
iStock/Getty
Student Well-Being & Movement Measles Is on the Rise as Vaccinations Drop. Where Does That Leave Schools?
With an outbreak in West Texas, are the conditions ripe for more measles outbreaks elsewhere?
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, February 25, 2025
6 min read
Flu and cold season concept: student at desk with tissues and blowing their nose.
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Student Well-Being & Movement Schools Close as Flu and Other Respiratory Illnesses Spike
Some schools are temporarily closing to stop the spread of infection—or because too many staff are sick.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, February 12, 2025
4 min read
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign event, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in Walker, Mich.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., speaks before President-elect Donald Trump at a campaign event on Sept. 27, 2024 in Walker, Mich. Trump has selected Kennedy to serve as secretary of health and human services in his second term.
Carlos Osorio/AP
Federal What Could RFK Jr. as HHS Secretary Mean for School Vaccine Requirements?
The vaccine skeptic in line to lead the mammoth federal agency could influence schools' vaccine rules, even though they're set by states.
Matthew Stone, November 15, 2024
6 min read
A sign posted at The Vancouver Clinic in Vancouver, Wash., warns patients and visitors of a measles outbreak on Jan. 30, 2019.
A sign posted at The Vancouver Clinic in Vancouver, Wash., warns patients and visitors of a measles outbreak on Jan. 30, 2019. A new outbreak has flared in Oregon this summer, and cases have been detected in 25 states and the District of Columbia.
Gillian Flaccus/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Measles Outbreaks Have More Than Tripled. How Schools Can Help
Getting more parents to vaccinate their children means leaning into relationships. Most states offer resources, too.
Sarah D. Sparks, July 29, 2024
3 min read
FILE - The Supreme Court is seen under stormy skies in Washington, June 20, 2019. In the coming days, the Supreme Court will confront a perfect storm mostly of its own making, a trio of decisions stemming directly from the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to take up a case about a state law that bars certain medical care for transgender minors, with the legal issues holding potential implications for schools.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Case on Transgender Youth Medical Care May Impact Schools
The justices will decide whether a Tennessee law that bars certain treatments for transgender minors violates the equal-protection clause.
Mark Walsh, June 24, 2024
5 min read
Woman applying "Welcome Back" sign to the school entrance
Leo Patrizi/E+/Getty Images
Student Well-Being & Movement CDC Recommends Shorter Isolation Period for COVID-19
Under the new guidance, students won't need to stay home from school for 5 days.
Sarah D. Sparks, March 1, 2024
3 min read