Over 1,000 students have been suspended from school by the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit due to incomplete immunization records.
According to the health unit, as of Monday, 1,016 Windsor and Essex County elementary students are being excluded from school for up to 20 days or until they have complied with the Immunization of School Pupils Act.
The act requires children and adolescents attending primary or secondary school to be immunized against mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, meningococcal, varicella, and polio, or have a valid medical, conscience, or religious belief exemption on file at the health unit.
The act also requires public health units to maintain and review immunization records for every student attending school in Ontario and to enforce a school suspension on students with incomplete immunization records.
In the fall of 2024, immunization records of all elementary students in Windsor and Essex County were reviewed, 45,139 records. The health unit says approximately 98 per cent of these students are up to date with the ISPA requirements, and two per cent continue to have incomplete records.
Students who have been suspended are required to provide the WECHU with records for missing immunizations and/or a valid exemption. Once a parent/guardian provides the student's updated immunization information to the health unit:
- The student's immunization record will be updated in the provincial database,
- The student can return to school immediately (note that an official rescind letter from the WECHU is required for same-day returns), and
- The student will be removed from the school's suspension list on the next business day.
The WECHU is offering help to affected families. Services are available 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday at our Windsor and Leamington offices.
Families are encouraged to visit www.wechu.org/getimmunized for more information.