JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As Florida moves to become the first state in the nation to fully eliminate vaccine requirements in schools, Action News Jax is learning more about vaccine rates in our local schools.
Statistics in Duval County suggest parents are having no problem taking advantage of the current exemptions in state law.
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More than 9,300 students are unvaccinated countywide, and more than half of those students are exempt on religious grounds.
Local Pediatrician Dr. Randolph Thornton told Action News Jax that since COVID, he’s noticed a significant increase in parents raising questions about vaccines.
“Parents have become more questioning of the vaccines and looking for more exemptions. There is so much misinformation on the vaccines,” said Thornton.
RELATED: Local public health experts voice opposition to Florida’s plan to end vaccination requirements
Combing through vaccine stats for 185 Duval Schools with enrollment data readily available, Action News Jax found 42 schools in the county have vaccination rates below 90 percent, accounting for 22 percent of all the schools we analyzed.
“If the parents are okay with not getting their kids vaccinated, welcome back to the mask,” said Brandy, a parent of two children in Duval schools.
Despite her concerns, she said she’s not surprised to see such low rates.
“Because a lot of parents, you know, they’re scared,” said Brandy.
Some schools fared far worse.
Oak Hill Academy had the lowest vaccination rate, with 38.2 percent of students claiming an exemption.
Arlington Heights Elementary, Cornerstone Classical Academy, Woodland Acres Elementary and Spring Park Elementary also topped the list with vaccination rates below 80 percent.
Cornerstone stood out in particular, with 217 unvaccinated students claiming religious exemptions, which is by far the highest number in the district.
We reached out to DCPS and asked if it was aware of how low the vaccination rates at some of its schools are, and what the district does to try to get those rates up.
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“Our role is to ensure parents have accurate information, reinforce the guidance provided by the Florida Department of Health, and comply with the law. Ultimately, the decision regarding opting out of vaccines rests with the parent or guardian, as permitted under Florida statute,” a district spokesperson told Action News Jax in an emailed statement.
Now, with the state doing away with the need to claim any exemption at all, Dr. Thornton said he fears we could start to see the return of diseases that have become virtually nonexistent if the vaccination rates continue to trend down.
“The fact that more and more people are opting out puts everybody at risk, and that to me is the biggest public health nightmare,” said Thornton.
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Here are the current required vaccines for children, per the Florida Department of Health:
Childcare and/or Family Daycare
- Diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (DTaP)
- Inactivated polio vaccine (IPV)
- Measles-mumps-rubella (MMR)
- Varicella (chickenpox)
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
- Pneumococcal conjugate (PCV15/20)
- Hepatitis B (Hep B)
Preschool Entry
- DTaP
- IPV
- MMR
- Varicella
- Hib
- Pneumococcal conjugate (PCV15/20)
- Hepatitis B (Hep B)
Kindergarten through 12th Grade
- Four or five doses of DTaP
- Four or five doses of IPV
- Two doses of MMR
- Three doses of Hep B
- One Tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap)
- Two doses of Varicella (kindergarten effective with 2008–2009 school year, then an additional grade is added each year thereafter). Varicella vaccine is not required if there is a history of varicella disease documented by the health care provider.
Additional Requirements: 7th Grade
In addition to compliance with all other immunization requirements, children entering, attending, or transferring to the 7th grade in Florida schools must complete the following:
- One Tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap)
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