Florida moves to end certain school vaccination requirements

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Today's Top Stories - August 25, 2026

Today's Top Stories - August 25, 2026

The state of Florida wants to roll back a requirement that public and private school children receive four vaccines before enrolling. 

A proposed rule from the state’s Health Department would allow students to attend school and enroll in daycare without first receiving hepatitis B, varicella (chickenpox), Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines. 

The proposal would also broaden religious objections to vaccinations, allowing parents to opt-out for any moral or ethical beliefs. Parents and college students could also object to having their information shared with a statewide vaccination database. 

Florida currently allows religious exemptions “if immunizations are in conflict with the religious tenets and practices of the child’s parent or guardian,” according to the state’s Health Department. 

The proposal comes almost a year after Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Florida’s surgeon general, first announced his intent to eliminate vaccine requirements in the Sunshine State. He did not specify any specific vaccines at the time but said he would end “all of them.” 

“Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery,” Ladapo, a longtime vaccine skeptic, said.  

The proposed rule is not the first time the state has........

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