Florida weighs dropping four vaccines from school and childcare entry rules

A proposed rule change would remove hepatitis B, chickenpox, Hib and pneumococcal vaccines from Florida’s enrolment requirements, but existing rules remain in force while officials consider the plan.

Florida health officials have opened the door to a major change in the state’s school and childcare vaccination rules, after holding a public hearing in Orlando on proposed revisions to an administrative rule that currently lists required immunisations for children enrolling in educational and care settings.

According to the Florida Department of Health, the proposal would update Rule 64D-3.046 so that it matches immunisations specifically required under state law, rather than the broader list now found in department regulations. Under the change, hepatitis B, varicella, also known as chickenpox, Haemophilus influenzae type b, or Hib, and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines would be removed from the department’s mandatory enrolment requirements. Polio, diphtheria, measles, rubella, pertussis, mumps and tetanus would still be required because they remain set out in Florida statutes.

The department said the hearing was intended to give parents, educators and other residents a chance to review the proposal, ask questions and comment before the rulemaking process moves further along. Officials stressed that no final decision has been made and that the revisions are not yet in force. The department also said the proposal is meant to bring administrative rules into line with the immunisations already identified in state law.

State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo said in a department statement that parents should have the main say in healthcare decisions affecting their children. He argued that the department’s role is to give families information and access to care, rather than to impose government mandates. The department has framed the proposal as a way to encourage informed choice while keeping the requirements that remain in Florida law intact.

Even if the changes are adopted, families would still be able to choose the vaccines that would no longer be required for enrolment. The proposal concerns whether those immunisations must be documented for school or childcare entry, not whether they remain available. Florida health officials also said existing protections under state law would continue, including recognised medical and religious exemptions where applicable.

The department said the package includes several administrative updates beyond the vaccine list itself. Those changes would revise immunisation and exemption forms, update guidance for schools, childcare providers and families, and adjust reporting and participation rules tied to Florida SHOTS, the state’s immunisation information system. For now, existing requirements remain in place until the rulemaking process is completed and a final decision is announced.