Florida could drop some vaccine requirements for public school students, Lee County parents weigh in

Florida's surgeon general approved a rule that would waive the requirement of four vaccines for public school admission: hepatitis B, chickenpox, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV). Dr. Joseph Ladapo made the decision last Thursday. Kate-Lynn Muniz, a mother of three, shared her perspective on the matter. "My two-year-old had a really bad reaction at two, and it kind of changed our idea of what we wanted to do with ," Muniz said. She emphasized that parents should have the final say in whether they vaccinate their children. "I generally feel it should be up to the parent and the family what they do for their kids. Granted, yes, there should be some state regulations to help guide some parents might not do the research or just might want to go with the typical vaccinations," Muniz said. In September 2025, Dr. Ladapo addressed concerns about how the state would manage disease outbreaks if it repealed vaccine mandates. "We don't need to do any projections. We handle outbreaks all the time, so there's nothing special that we would need to do," Ladapo said. According to the latest data, about 4% of public school students in Lee and Collier counties have religious or medical vaccine exemptions. Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more than 90% of studied states have seen an increase in nonmedical exemption rates. Rachel Grunewald, a mother of two, expressed her views on the issue, acknowledging the importance of vaccines while supporting parental choice. "I think that some vaccines are necessary. But if we can try not to give our children vaccines to go to school or have that option to not , I think that would be great," Grunewald said. The Florida Department of Health requires vaccinations for hepatitis B, chickenpox, Hib influenzae and PCV, but these are not mandated by state law. The proposed rule includes a 21-day public input period before it can receive final approval. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment, and original programming on your TV.