Florida Plans to End Child Vaccine Mandates, AAP Warns Parents of Risks

Florida officials announced this week that they are working to end all vaccine mandates, including those required for school and childcare entry. In a press conference, Governor Ron DeSantis said the effort is about “medical freedom,” while Florida Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo, argued “the government has no right to tell people what to put in their bodies.”

The state’s Department of Health can roll back some rules, but other requirements—like school-entry immunizations written into state law—would need legislative approval. If Florida succeeds, it would become the first state in the country to eliminate all childhood vaccine mandates.

For now, nothing has changed. Florida’s vaccine requirements vary by grade level, but children in kindergarten through high school are expected to be vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B and varicella. Families must provide proof through the state’s DH 680 immunization form.

That said, families in Florida and beyond are able to file medical or religious/personal exemptions to the vaccine mandate. Last school year, about 5.1% of Florida kindergartners had an exemption, compared to 3.6% nationally. Nearly all of these were nonmedical exemptions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The push to end vaccine mandates comes as vaccine-preventable illnesses are on the rise. The US has reported a 33-year high of 1,431 measles cases so far this year, along with three deaths, including two children. Pertussis or whooping cough cases are also climbing, with more than 19,000 reported this year compared to 17,000 at this point last year.

As vaccination rates drop and preventable disease rates increase, several medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), have issued a strong warning for parents.

“When everyone in a school is vaccinated, it’s harder for diseases to spread, and easier for everyone to keep the fun and learning going,” AAP President Susan J. Kressly, MD, FAAP, said in response to Florida’s plan. “When children are sick and miss school, parents also miss work, which not only impacts those families, but also the local economy. We are concerned that today’s announcement … will put children in Florida public schools at higher risk for getting sick, and have ripple effects across their community.”

The AAP points to decades of research showing the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. A 2024 CDC study found that vaccines prevented 508 million lifetime illnesses, 32 million hospitalizations and 1.1 million deaths among children born from 1994–2023.

In July, the AAP released an updated policy statement continuing to call on states to eliminate nonmedical exemptions. Just weeks ago, the group also unveiled its latest evidence-based immunization schedule for children. “The AAP will continue to provide recommendations for immunizations that are rooted in science and are in the best interest of the health of infants, children and adolescents,” AAP President Susan J. Kressly, MD, FAAP, said in the August 19 update.