High court won’t hear challenge to NY school vaccine rules
The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear a challenge to New York state’s requirement that all children be vaccinated before they can attend public school, upholding an appeals court ruling that said the policy does not violate students’ constitutional right of religious freedom.
The appeals court had also upheld a federal judge’s ruling that students exempted from the immunization policy for religious reasons could still be barred from school during an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease.
“I applaud the Supreme Court for letting stand the Second Circuit’s decision recognizing the validity of laws in both New York state and New York City requiring vaccinations for schoolchildren,” state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement. “Protecting children from debilitating communicable diseases should be a top priority.”