"Low Vaccination Rates Lead to D.C. Students Being Barred from Classrooms"
Students in Washington, D.C. who were behind on routine vaccinations were barred from attending school this week, causing parents to scramble for appointments and wait in long lines at clinics. While schools have historically not enforced vaccination requirements, officials have now taken action, focusing on students in pre-K3, kindergarten, seventh, and 11th grades. The pandemic has contributed to a decline in immunization rates, and efforts to catch up have been slow. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that only 87.5% of D.C. kindergartners were protected against measles, mumps, and rubella last school year, below the 95% threshold for herd immunity. Some parents expressed frustration with the sudden enforcement, citing difficulties in scheduling appointments and shortages of vaccines.