US school vaccination rates inch down yet again and exemptions reach record high - EverythingLubbock.com

The national exemption rate for required shots climbed to 4.2%. That's up from 3.6% just one year prior. This means approximately 155,000 children across the country started kindergarten without full protection. Most parents now opt out for non-medical reasons, continuing a four-year trend of record-high exemptions. This news hits home for Lubbock families. Local school districts like Lubbock ISD and Frenship ISD uphold Texass vaccination policies. Every parent sending their child to a school from the Depot District to Raintree cares about classroom health.

This rise in unvaccinated students heightens the risk of outbreaks for diseases once controlled. Local parents may now worry more about measles or whooping cough spreading through classrooms at places like Coronado or Monterey. It strains public health resources. It could also lead to increased school absences. This isn't just a national number. It affects every playground and lunchroom across the 806.

The current national exemption rate represents more children attending school unvaccinated than the entire student body of Texas Tech.