School vaccine mandates

Introduction
Early history of vaccines
National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act and Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System
Andrew Wakefield and the autism controversy
Thimerosal and autism
COVID-19 vaccine
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the Trump Administration
Potential consequences for unvaccinated children and their parents
Eradication and elimination of disease
Pros
- Pro 1: Vaccine-preventable diseases have not disappeared, so mandated vaccination is still necessary.
- Pro 2: Vaccine mandates ensure the “herd” is protected.
- Pro 3: Vaccine mandates save children, parents, and society time and money.
Cons
- Con 1: Vaccine mandates infringe upon constitutionally protected rights.
- Con 2: Counseling, not mandates, is the more effective way to ensure vaccine-hesitant parents vaccinate their children.
- Con 3: The government should not intervene in personal medical choices.
Vaccinations required by U.S. public schools
- DTaP: Diphtheria, Tetanus, & Pertussis
- IPV: Polio
- Varicella: Chickenpox
- MMR: Measles, Mumps, & Rubella
- HepB: Hepatitis B
- HepA: Hepatitis A
- HPV: Human Papillomavirus
- Meningococcal: Neisseria meningitidis infections
State vaccination exemptions for children entering public schools
Vaccine ingredients and manufacturer information
- Adenovirus
  - Adenovirus Type 4 and Type 7 Vaccine, Live, Oral
- Anthrax
  - Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed
- BCG
  - BCG Vaccine
  - BCG Live
- Cholera
  - Cholera Vaccine Live Oral
- COVID-19
  - COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA
- Dengue
  - Dengue Tetravalent Vaccine, Live
- DT
  - Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids Adsorbed
- DTaP
  - Diphtheria & Tetanus Toxoids & Acellular Pertussis Vaccine Adsorbed
  - Diphtheria & Tetanus Toxoids & Acellular Pertussis Vaccine Adsorbed
- DTap-HepB-IPV
  - Diphtheria & Tetanus Toxoids & Acellular Pertussis Vaccine Adsorbed, Hepatitis B (recombinant) and Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine Combined
- DTaP-IPV
  - Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Acellular Pertussis Adsorbed and Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine
  - Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Acellular Pertussis Adsorbed and Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine
- DTaP-IPV-Hib-HepB
  - Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Acellular Pertussis Adsorbed, Inactivated Poliovirus, Haemophilus b Conjugate [Meningococcal Protein Conjugate] and Hepatitis B [Recombinant] Vaccine
- DTaP-IPV-Hib
  - Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Acellular Pertussis Adsorbed, Inactivated Poliovirus and Haemophilus b Conjugate (Tetanus Toxoid Conjugate) Vaccine
- Ebola
  - Ebola Zaire Vaccine, Live
- Hib
  - Haemophilus b Conjugate Vaccine (Meningococcal Protein Conjugate)
  - Haemophilus b Conjugate Vaccine (Tetanus Toxoid Conjugate)
  - Haemophilus b Conjugate Vaccine (Tetanus Toxoid Conjugate)
- Hep A
  - Hepatitis A Vaccine, Inactivated
  - Hepatitis A Vaccine, Inactivated
- Hep A & Hep B
  - Hepatitis A Inactivated and Hepatitis B (Recombinant) Vaccine
- Hep B
  - Hepatitis B Vaccine (Recombinant)
  - Hepatitis B Vaccine (Recombinant)
  - Hepatitis B Vaccine (Recombinant), Adjuvanted
- HPV
  - Human Papillomavirus Quadrivalent (Types 6, 11, 16, 18) Vaccine, Recombinant
  - Human Papillomavirus 9-valent Vaccine, Recombinant
  - Human Papillomavirus Bivalent (Types 16, 18) Vaccine, Recombinant
- Influenza A (H1N1)
  - Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine
  - Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine
  - Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine
  - Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine
  - Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine
- Influenza A (H5N1)
  - Influenza Virus Vaccine, H5N1 (for National Stockpile)
  - Influenza A (H5N1) Virus Monovalent Vaccine, Adjuvanted
  - Influenza A (H5N1) Monovalent Vaccine, Adjuvanted
- Influenza A (H5N1)
  - Ebola Zaire Vaccine, Live
- Japanese encephalitis
  - Japanese Encephalitis Virus Vaccine, Inactivated, Adsorbed
- MMR
  - Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Virus Vaccine, Live
- MMR and Varicella
  - Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Varicella Virus Vaccine Live
- Meningococcal
  - Meningococcal (Groups A, C, Y, and W-135) Oligosaccharide Diphtheria CRM197 Conjugate Vaccine
  - Meningococcal (Groups A, C, Y and W-135) Polysaccharide Diphtheria Toxoid Conjugate Vaccine
  - Meningococcal Group B Vaccine
  - Meningococcal Group B Vaccine
  - Meningococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine, Groups A, C, Y and W-135 Combined
  - Meningococcal (Groups A, C, Y, W) Conjugate Vaccine
- Pneumococcal
  - Pneumococcal Vaccine, Polyvalent
  - Pneumococcal 13-valent Conjugate Vaccine (Diphtheria CRM197 Protein)
  - Pneumococcal 15-valent Conjugate Vaccine
  - Pneumococcal 20-valent Conjugate Vaccine
- Polio
  - Poliovirus Vaccine Inactivated (Monkey Kidney Cell)
- Rabies
  - Rabies Vaccine
  - Rabies Vaccine
- Rotavirus
  - Rotavirus Vaccine, Live, Oral
  - Rotavirus Vaccine, Live, Oral, Pentavalent
- Smallpox & mpox/monkeypox
  - Smallpox and Mpox/Monkeypox Vaccine, Live, Non-Replicating
- Smallpox
  - Smallpox (Vaccinia) Vaccine, Live
- TD
  - Tetanus & Diphtheria Toxoids, Adsorbed
  - Tetanus & Diphtheria Toxoids Adsorbed for Adult Use
  - Diphtheria & Tetanus Toxoid Adsorbed
- Tdap
  - Tetanus Toxoid, Reduced Diphtheria Toxoid and Acellular Pertussis Vaccine, Adsorbed
  - Tetanus Toxoid, Reduced Diphtheria Toxoid and Acellular Pertussis Vaccine, Adsorbed
- Tick-borne encephalitis
  - Tick-Borne Encephalitis Vaccine
- Typhoid
  - Typhoid Vaccine Live Oral Ty21a
  - Typhoid Vaccine Live Oral TTyphoid Vi Polysaccharide Vacciney21a
- Varicella
  - Varicella Virus Vaccine Live
- Yellow Fever
  - Yellow Fever Vaccine
- Zoster
  - Zoster Vaccine, Live, (Oka/Merck)
  - Zoster Vaccine Recombinant, Adjuvanted
- Glossary
Vaccine histories and impact
- DTaP: diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis
  - Diphtheria
  - Tetanus (lockjaw)
  - Pertussis (whooping cough)
- Hepatitis B
- Hib
- Measles, mumps, and rubella
  - Measles
  - Mumps
  - Rubella (German measles)
- Polio
- Varicella (chickenpox)
Assessment quiz
1-minute survey
Discussion questions
Sources

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images, Videos & Interactives

School vaccine mandates

Infographic showing estimated lives saved by childhood vaccinations worldwide from 1974 to 2024, with syringe-shaped bars for each disease. Measles tops the list at 93.71 million lives saved, followed by tetanus, whooping cough, and others, for a total of 153.84 million lives saved.

Painting of George Washington and officers in winter coats at a snowy Revolutionary War encampment, with Continental Army soldiers huddled around a fire.

The History of the Polio Vaccine

A healthcare worker wearing gloves disinfects the upper arm of a teenage girl in a clinic setting, preparing her for a vaccination. Other people are seated in the background.

Vaccine Development.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wearing a dark suit and green patterned tie, seated indoors with a microphone clipped to his lapel.

A health worker wearing a blue surgical mask holds up a vial of CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine, with the vaccine label visible in the foreground.

School vaccine mandates: References & Edit History

Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

The Editors of ProCon
ProCon's editors write and verify new content and update existing content. ProCon presents the pro and con arguments to debatable issues in a straightforward, nonpartisan, freely accessible way.

Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors

Article History

Type	Description	Contributor	Date
	Edit to con 1.	The Editors of ProCon	Oct 07, 2026
	Discussion questions standardized.	The Editors of ProCon	Jul 23, 2026
	Quiz and illustration added.	The Editors of ProCon	Mar 26, 2026
	Links added.	The Editors of ProCon	Mar 15, 2026
	Links added.	The Editors of ProCon	Mar 15, 2026
	Video added.	The Editors of ProCon	Mar 14, 2026
	Updates to Trump administration policies, measles outbreak, and measles elimination status in U.S. and Canada.	The Editors of ProCon	Mar 11, 2026
	Subhead shortened.	The Editors of ProCon	Mar 06, 2026
	Subtitle adjusted.	The Editors of ProCon	Feb 11, 2026
	Photo added.	The Editors of ProCon	Feb 10, 2026
	Clarification of polio data.	The Editors of ProCon	Jan 16, 2026
	Overall update.	The Editors of ProCon	Jan 13, 2026
	Spacing fixed.	The Editors of ProCon	Jan 13, 2026
	Invalidated site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Mandatory School Vaccinations: The Role of Tort Law.	Emily Rodriguez	May 22, 2025
	Survey added.	The Editors of ProCon	May 07, 2025
	Add new Web site: WebMD - Vaccine Mandates: What to Know.	Gloria Lotha	Mar 26, 2025
	Add new Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Mandatory School Vaccinations: The Role of Tort Law.	Aakanksha Gaur	Feb 14, 2025
	Links added.	The Editors of ProCon	Dec 12, 2024
	Links, text, and sources updated.	The Editors of ProCon	Dec 12, 2024
	New article added.	The Editors of ProCon	Nov 08, 2024