A total of 546 students have been suspended this year because they didn’t have complete vaccination records, according to Lambton Public Health.
Of these, 156 were high school students, and 390 were elementary students, all suspended on March 5.
This is the highest number of suspensions ever, with the closest year being 2017 with 381 suspensions.
Ontario law requires students to have vaccinations against several diseases to attend school, unless they have a valid exemption.
Normally, public health sends out 2,000 to 3,000 warnings a year, but this year, they sent out 6,199.
Most students usually update their records, but this year, the number with outdated records was higher.
In the past, some students were suspended for not updating their records on time, but this year’s challenge was unique.
The health unit is encouraged by the positive response from families in updating their records, which helps prevent and manage outbreaks.
The suspension lasts for up to 20 days, and if records aren’t updated by then, the health officer will decide whether to suspend again however this is rare, as most students update their records before this happens.
The health unit will know how many students have valid exemptions after the suspension process is over.
If anyone needs to update their records, they can call the health unit’s vaccine call centre or visit getthevaccine.ca
Written By: K. Milhomens
