Assemblywoman Pat Fahy says she is concerned school districts did not have enough time to ensure their students have received the required vaccinations after the state ended religious exemptions.
“There’s been a lot of scrambling. In hindsight, I think we should have given a 30-day window instead of what was a 14-day grace period,” Fahy said.
In Buffalo, more than 1,000 kids were without the proper vaccinations earlier this week. Fahy says Albany schools struggled as well.
“We wanted to make sure that DOH is on top of this, working with the school districts, talking to the medical director in Albany, and talking to the superintendent. It’s confusing, it’s a brand new law, these are brand new regulations,” Fahy said.
In a statement to Spectrum News, a state Department of Health spokeswoman said web instruction events and an expansion of audits, to ensure compliance, are being conducted. She said, “Since June, the New York state Department of Health has been working closely with the State Education Department and the Office of Children and Family Services to implement this important new legislation by providing guidance to schools and day cares.”
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