Close to 3,000 kids attending primary school in Waterloo Region were not allowed to go to school on Wednesday morning because they didn't have updated immunization records.
The region says Waterloo Public Health suspended 2,969 students under the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA).
For a few months, the region has been encouraging people to update their children's vaccinations, including by sending letters home to parents a couple of times, warning that students' records needed to be updated or they would be suspended.
It announced in January that 32,000 students did not have up-to-date records: 22,000 students in primary school and 10,000 in secondary school.
“We have made remarkable progress from the original 27,567 immunization notices we sent to parents in November and December 2023,” Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, medical officer of health, stated.
“Since that time, we have resolved more than 24,500 outdated vaccination records, providing students with valuable protection against these serious and preventable diseases.”
The high school students still have a few weeks to get their records up to date or else face suspension.
The ISPA requires students to have proof-of-vaccination records for diphtheria, polio, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella (chickenpox) and meningitis, which must be on file with public health.
Public health says caregivers whose children are suspended will need to book an appointment at regionofwaterloo.ca/vaccines for clinics, which will be held in Cambridge and Waterloo on weekdays.
“Given the high number of suspensions, it may take several days before you can be seen at an appointment and return your child to school,” a release from the region warns.
“Record submission and questions must be done in person to ensure immediate resolution.”
The last time suspensions over immunizations were issued was in 2019, when 1,032 students were suspended.
