ORLANDO, Fla. — Parents across Central Florida are reacting to a new plan to eliminate vaccine mandates for children in schools.
The initiative was announced Wednesday by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo. If carried out, Florida would be the first state in the nation to propose eliminating vaccine mandates.
Some parents support the initiative, saying they want the freedom to choose which vaccines their children receive, while others expressed concerns about the potential risks to student health.
John Ehrhart, a parent, voiced his concerns, stating, “It’s not up to the school on which vaccines we are told to give.”
Parents said they got the required vaccines for their kids, but if they had the choice to do their own research first, they probably wouldn’t have done all of them.
Ehrhart highlighted worries about autism and other complications, saying, “With all of the autism concerns and other complications that have come out over the last two decades alone, parents are starting to feel bad about getting them.”
A teacher’s union, the Volusia United Educators, has expressed opposition to the plan. The union’s president emphasized the importance of safety for both students and staff, stating, “The bottom line is we want kids to be safe and we want teachers and staff to also be safe. We believe in the science and we believe that there is irrefutable evidence that vaccinations work.”
Andrew Spar, president of Florida Education Association, said he plans to speak to state legislators about putting more protections in place for teachers and students.
“Let’s not forget we have people that work in our schools who may be high risk, and now they risk being exposed to various illnesses that we believe we’ve eradicated,” Spar said. “But as we’ve seen with measles, it can come back if people aren’t being vaccinated.”
WFTV has reached out to multiple school systems for comment. Orange County Public Schools, Volusia County Schools and Marion County Public Schools have all said they will comply with state guidelines.
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