Unvaccinated students not welcome back in Newton this fall
Nolin and Newton Health and Human Services did not immediately return requests for comment about the stricter policy.
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To comply with the state requirements, Newton Health and Human Services and school nurses will provide vaccines for students, the district said. There are two exemptions for immunizations: religious exemptions and doctor-approved exemptions for immunocompromised students.
'We've got to follow state law, that's our responsibility,' said School Committee Chair Chris Brezski, who has two middle schoolers in the system.
Massachusetts recently reported one case of measles from a
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According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the herd immunity threshold for measles is between 92 percent and 94 percent immunization rate.
Massachusetts is currently
Newton mother Brenda Anders Pring, 53, is a representative of the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Although immunization is widespread in the state, it's important to keep an eye out for any potential risks to students, said Anders Pring, whose children are in middle and high school.
'The measles vaccine works really well if most people are vaccinated,' Pring said. 'We're at a place where we had almost eliminated measles and we hadn't had a death in over 25 years in the country
."
Other parents and teachers agreed with the district's efforts to comply with state requirements.
Denise Cremlin, a Spanish high school teacher at Newton North, said she was glad the school is taking action to protect students who might be undergoing chemotherapy treatments or have medical conditions that prevent them from getting vaccinated.
'It's not just about me being vaccinated, it's about how do I keep the other people in my community safe, who might be at more risk than I am,' Cremlin said.
Jonathan Brenner, 59, a pediatrician and parent of a fourth grader and, said he was surprised it took so long for the district to notify families about the unvaccinated students, and didn't know exemptions during the pandemic period that allowed students to matriculate without all vaccine requirements hadn't been updated.
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'When you have a pocket of unimmunized children, these infectious diseases can spread,' Brenner said. 'So I'm fully in support of the reinstatement of these vaccine requirements, and I'm also fully in support of the district's position that they will not allow students back at school in the fall unless they admit the vaccine requirements.'
Jessica Weed, 45, has a second grade student in the system. Weed is a stay-at-home mom who wasn't aware of any chicken pox outbreaks, but agreed with the vaccine reinforcement.
'Especially for measles, I guess COVID or flu is more of a choice, but measles for sure,' Weed said.
Maria Probert can be reached at
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