Vaccination deadline in NYS approaches its two-week time stamp

It’s now been two weeks since the school districts in Central New York headed back to class! That two-week time stamp also means those children need to be vaccinated, according to a new law.

The law, passed in June, says all children in public school, private school, and daycare centers must get their shots within the first 14 days of classes. According to the Department of Health, parents need to show proof of their first dose of shots within that time frame and they’d have 30 days to show they’ve scheduled follow-up appointments to complete those shots.

If students do not have proof of vaccination, they will be asked to leave the school and parents will be forced to homeschool their children or go elsewhere, out of state. This also means religious exemptions are no longer allowed, only students with a medical exemption may be excused from the law.

There are two exceptions for extensions on this law. One being if the student is transferring from out of state or from another country and can show they are getting their vaccinations. It also can be extended if their guardian can show they’ve gotten their first dose of shots and have proof of follow-up appointments to complete them.

This comes after the measles outbreak all over the country and specifically in downstate NY, where there have been more than 420 confirmed cases of measles since October of 2018. That statistic does not include New York City.

For more local news, follow Julia LeBlanc on Twitter @JulialeblancNC9.