Texas schools are heading into the new year with record-high vaccine exemption requests and a law that just made skipping shots easier. In July alone, the state received 17,197 exemption requests—a 36% jump from the year before. Because each form can cover up to eight kids, that translates into more than 30,000 children potentially unprotected against diseases like measles.
The timing couldn’t be worse. Public health budgets are shrinking, school nurses are burning out, and immigration fears are keeping some families away from clinics. Meanwhile, Texas now ranks 18th in the nation for measles vaccination rates, with 25,000 kindergarteners not fully protected. In places like Gaines County and Austin ISD, vaccination rates have dipped below 80%, the level at which measles outbreaks thrive.
A new law effective Sept. 1 will make exemption forms downloadable online instead of mailed, but they still require notarization and expire every two years. Critics say the change will drive vaccination rates even lower, while Texans for Vaccine Choice insists it’s simply about parental rights.
School nurses warn that underfunded campuses already juggle chronic illness care, daily meds, and paperwork wars just to keep kids compliant. Some administrators are quietly telling staff to let unvaccinated students attend anyway, since state funding depends on enrollment.
Public health clinics are also struggling. Federal funding cuts have slashed immunization staff in places like Austin, where summer vaccine clinics have shrunk from serving dozens daily to just 20 people per day. Families without insurance are increasingly left out, while misinformation and mistrust keep spreading.
Texas just lived through the nation’s worst measles outbreak in 30 years, but the state’s response is to hand parents an easier “get out of vaccines free” form. What could possibly go wrong?
https://www.texastribune.org/2025/08/18/texas-school-vaccination-budget-cuts/
