Windsor-Essex health unit says more than 6,600 students will be suspended over expired vaccination records
More than 6,600 elementary students in Windsor-Essex county will be suspended from school on March 16 if they do not update their vaccines.
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit released a statement Thursday that they have mailed out 6,654 suspension orders to students in the region.
The health unit's website says the vaccinations are for illnesses like hepatitis B, human papillomavirus and meningococcal disease.
The health unit says it will enforce the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA), which allows it to review students' vaccination records and issue suspensions.
The health unit says students who are receiving suspension notices are either overdue for their vaccines or their immunization records are not up to date.
In December, the health unit says it sent a notice to the guardians of over 12,000 students, telling them they needed to update their children's vaccinations. A little over half of those students still require their vaccines.
The health unit says suspensions will start on March 20, 2023, and will last up to 20 days. It says students will be removed from the suspension list once their updated immunization information is provided to the health unit.
To find out what vaccinations are needed, guardians can visit the health unit's vaccination page.
