AIM Statement on School and Child-Care Vaccination Entry Requirements

Claire Hannan, MPH, Executive Director of the Association of Immunization Managers, today released the following statement:

“The Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) strongly supports school and child-care vaccination entry requirements. These requirements are effective public health tools for increasing immunization coverage in children and preventing transmission of disease in school and child-care settings. The vast majority of parents support routine vaccination of children and adolescents, and more than 94% of kindergarteners in public school are vaccinated as required by current state laws. These policies also prevent disruptions in education and help parents avoid missing work. Removing or weakening school entry requirements will lead to predictable, costly, and potentially tragic disease outbreaks.

In 1905 the U.S. Supreme Court found that a community’s need to be protected from infectious diseases justifies reasonable state requirements to be vaccinated. Since then, various courts have affirmed the government’s authority to establish policies that protect the health and well-being of children and of communities. School and daycare vaccination laws protect the entire community, as well as individuals who are in close contact with one another, including students, neighbors, and vulnerable family members.

AIM’s position reflects the broad consensus among medical, public health, and scientific organizations supporting current requirements, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Medical Association, American Nurses Association, American School Nurses Association,  National Education Association,  Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, Vaccinate Your Family, and others.”