By: Matt Weingarden, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeshore News Reporter
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) has announced that thousands of students across the region could be suspended from school this March if their immunization records are not updated.
In the fall of 2024, WECHU completed a review of 65,633 student immunization records and issued 7,076 notices to elementary students and 4,785 notices to secondary students. The notices indicated that the students were either overdue for vaccines required under the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA), R.S.O. 1990, or their records with WECHU were not up to date.
As of Jan. 17, 2025, more than 90 percent of Windsor and Essex County students comply with the ISPA. However, 3,699 elementary and 2,781 secondary students remain non-compliant, putting them at risk of suspension.
Parents and guardians must update elementary students’ immunization records by 6 p.m. on Feb. 27, 2025, and secondary students’ records by 6 p.m. on March 13, 2025. Students whose records are not updated by these deadlines will be suspended from school effective March 3, 2025 (elementary) and March 17, 2025 (secondary).
WECHU encourages parents to act promptly to ensure their children meet the immunization requirements and avoid disruptions to their education.
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