West Virginia schools have reinstated a compulsory vaccine mandate, ending the acceptance of religious exemptions after the state Supreme Court issued a stay on a lower court ruling, as quoted by the Associated Press. The move affects children whose parents had sought to bypass vaccination requirements on religious grounds.The Supreme Court stay temporarily blocks Raleigh County Circuit Judge Michael Froble’s decision, which allowed families to cite religious beliefs to opt out of mandatory vaccinations. “The Supreme Court has paused the lower court’s injunction pending further appeals,” the Associated Press quoted from a statement issued by the court.Board of Education enforces complianceThe West Virginia Board of Education announced that county boards must no longer accept religious exemptions for school vaccines. The directive will remain in effect until the Supreme Court issues additional guidance, the Associated Press reported. The board emphasised that its priority is to ensure compliance with the state’s vaccine law and safeguard student health.Froble’s original ruling permitted children of families objecting to compulsory vaccinations on religious grounds to attend school and participate in extracurricular activities. However, the Supreme Court stay halted this ruling, maintaining the state’s strict vaccination policy.Legislative background and executive ordersWest Virginia had long allowed only medical exemptions from school vaccinations. Republican Governor Patrick Morrisey issued an executive order in January permitting religious exemptions, but the Board of Education instructed public schools to disregard this order in June, according to the Associated Press. Two groups challenged Morrisey’s order, arguing that the Legislature—not the governor—has authority over vaccination policies.Legislation to allow religious exemptions passed in the state Senate but failed in the House of Delegates earlier this year. Froble noted in his ruling that the legislature’s failure to pass the bill did not prevent the application of the 2023 law that bars religious exemptions, as quoted by the Associated Press.Impact on families and public healthMiranda Guzman and other parents filed a class-action lawsuit against the state and local school boards, as well as the Raleigh County schools superintendent, after religious exemptions were rescinded. Guzman had received a certificate from the state health department for her child’s enrolment in the 2025-26 school year, which was later revoked, the Associated Press reported.Froble certified the lawsuit as a class action involving 570 families, extending to future parents seeking religious exemptions. West Virginia requires students to be vaccinated against chickenpox, hepatitis B, measles, meningitis, mumps, diphtheria, polio, rubella, tetanus, and whooping cough, one of the most protective policies in the country, as noted by the Associated Press.At least 30 US states have religious freedom laws, modelled after the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993. These laws allow challenges to federal regulations that interfere with religious beliefs, the Associated Press reported.
