Editorial: School vaccination rules must recognize the need to keep all students safe

Many parents dread the day their children start going to school, worrying about the day those children come home with head lice, a cold or other contagious malady.

Proposed legislation in Austin could give them even more reasons to worry.

The Texas House on Wednesday voted to make it easier for parents to get waivers for vaccinations that schools —and the state — currently require.

This comes as measles cases across the state have exceeded 700 and are still rising.

Most of those infected by this highly contagious disease — which previously had been virtually eradicated — were not vaccinated.

The bill, filed by Houston Republican Rep. Lacey Hull, would provide a form seeking vaccination waivers on the Department of State Health Services website so parents can download them easily and request the waiver for any reason. Currently, parents must request the form from the state, cite religious or conscientious reasons, and submit the notarized form for approval by their school district.

Health officials warn that allowing more families to opt out of vaccinations could lead to more outbreaks like the current measles epidemic, and eliminate the group immunity that protects those who can’t take certain vaccines for medical, religious or other reasons.

Hull’s bill aligns with current U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr.’s crusade against vaccines. It also follows the Republican-led condemnation of the COVID-19 vaccine during the pandemic as a sign of heavy-handed government impositions on personal rights — even though the vaccine was never mandated.

The House bill passed one vote short of the threshold for automatic delivery to the Senate, but a new vote could be taken. Also, although no new bills can be filed anymore during the current legislative session, the provisions could be added to another bill already under Senate consideration.

Laws must weigh personal freedoms against public safety. That’s why we have speed limits and age limits for driving, buying alcohol and other restraints on human behavior.

They also contradict Republicans’ support for laws restricting certain medical procedures, religious expression, immigration and other impositions on personal freedoms.

We agree that government, at all levels, has grown too large and imposing. Supporting measures that compromise public health and safety, however, is the wrong place to hitch their horses.

Parents should be able to voice valid reasons why they don’t want their children vaccinated. Schools, however, need to prioritize the well-being of all students, and seek to maximize vaccination rates that promote student health and reduce absenteeism that affects both student achievement and attendance-based funding from the state.

They also need to be pragmatic. As vaccination rates drop, schools, and the state, can expect lawsuits from parents whose children have caught a contagious disease, alleging that the schools didn’t provide adequate protection.

If families have a right to be free from mandated vaccinations, then others should have the same right to seek protection from harmful diseases when preventive measures are available.

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