2,969 Waterloo Region elementary students suspended for out-of-date vaccination records

“We don’t want to suspend,” says Dr. David Aoki with Waterloo Region Public Health. “We want to get them up-to-date and also remind parents you need to get this shot. It’s important.”

Almost 3,000 Waterloo Region elementary school students were suspended Wednesday for out-of-date vaccination records.

Initial notices were sent to parents and guardian of students with out of date vaccine records in November and December. At that time, 27,567 students were at risk of suspension.

The Immunization of School Pupils Act requires all Ontario elementary and secondary school students to have proof of vaccination for diphtheria, polio, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella (chickenpox) and meningitis, or proof of an exemption.

The Region of Waterloo Public Health’s director of infectious diseases tells CTV News the number of notifications sent out this school year is about three times that of a typical pre-pandemic year.

Public health has not enforced vaccination requirements for the past several years.

“We’d taken a break because of the pandemic and we knew it was going to be a big year,” says Dr. David Aoki.

By Feburary, just over 18,000 student vaccination records were still outstanding. Students were given a deadline of March 27 to avoid suspension.