West Virginia restores exclusion of religious reasons for school vaccine exemptions after latest court ruling

The West Virginia Board of Education reinstated its schoolhouse vaccination argumentation aft the authorities Supreme Court paused a little court's ruling that allowed parents to mention spiritual beliefs to opt retired of vaccines needed for children to be school.

The authorities Supreme Court issued a enactment connected Tuesday pursuing past week's ruling by Raleigh County Circuit Judge Michael Froble successful a class-action lawsuit. Froble said successful his injunction that children whose parents refused the state’s vaccination request connected spiritual grounds would beryllium allowed to be schoolhouse and enactment successful extracurricular sports.

Froble's ruling was blocked pending solution of appeals successful the case.

The committee said successful a connection that it "is reinstating its directive to region boards of acquisition not to judge spiritual exemptions to compulsory vaccination laws. This directive volition beryllium successful effect until the Supreme Court issues further guidance."

JUDGE RULES WEST VIRGINIA PARENTS CAN USE RELIGIOUS BELIEFS TO OPT OUT OF SCHOOL VACCINE REQUIREMENTS

West Virginia was among conscionable a fistful of states to connection lone aesculapian exemptions from schoolhouse vaccinations erstwhile Gov. Patrick Morrisey issued an enforcement bid earlier this twelvemonth allowing spiritual exemptions. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Additionally, the committee said its precedence is to guarantee compliance with the authorities vaccine instrumentality "and safeguard the wellness and well-being of each students crossed West Virginia."

The vaccine mandate was suspended by the committee past week aft Froble's ruling, which stated that the authorities argumentation prohibiting parents from seeking spiritual exemptions violated the Equal Protection for Religion Act signed into instrumentality successful 2023 by then-Republican Gov. Jim Justice.

West Virginia was among a fistful of states to connection lone aesculapian exemptions from schoolhouse vaccinations erstwhile Gov. Patrick Morrisey, besides a Republican, issued an enforcement bid earlier this twelvemonth allowing spiritual exemptions.

But the committee voted successful June to instruct nationalist schools to disregard the governor's bid and travel long-standing schoolhouse vaccine requirements outlined successful authorities law.

Two groups had sued to halt Morrisey's order, arguing that the legislature, not the governor, has the authorization to marque these decisions.

The West Virginia Board of Education reinstated its schoolhouse vaccination argumentation aft the authorities Supreme Court paused a little court's ruling. (iStock)

Legislation that would person allowed the spiritual exemptions was approved by the authorities Senate and rejected by the House of Delegates earlier this year.

Froble said successful his ruling that the nonaccomplishment to walk the authorities did not find the exertion of the 2023 law. He rejected the defendants' statement that spiritual exemptions tin lone beryllium established by legislative moves.

"Legislative intent is not implicit nor controlling successful interpreting a statute oregon determining its application; astatine most, it is simply a factor," Froble said.

A radical of parents sued the authorities and section boards of acquisition and the Raleigh County schools superintendent. One genitor obtained a spiritual exemption to the vaccine mandate from the authorities wellness section and enrolled her kid successful simple schoolhouse for the existent schoolhouse twelvemonth earlier receiving an email successful June from the section schoolhouse superintendent rescinding the certificate, according to the lawsuit.

FLORIDA SURGEON GENERAL DEFENDS UNPRECEDENTED PLAN TO DISMANTLE SCHOOL VACCINE MANDATES

A radical of parents had sued the authorities and section boards of acquisition and the Raleigh County schools superintendent. (iStock)

Last month, Froble certified the lawsuit arsenic a people enactment involving 570 families who had received spiritual exemptions successful different parts of the state. He said the people enactment besides applies to parents who question spiritual exemptions successful the future.

Froble said the full fig of exemptions truthful acold progressive a tiny information of the statewide pupil colonisation and "would not meaningfully trim vaccination rates oregon summation wellness risks."

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

State instrumentality requires children to person vaccines for chickenpox, hepatitis B, measles, meningitis, mumps, diphtheria, polio, rubella, tetanus and whooping cough earlier attending school.

At slightest 30 states person spiritual state laws. The laws are modeled aft the national Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which was signed into instrumentality successful 1993 by then-President Bill Clinton, allowing national regulations that interfere with spiritual beliefs to beryllium challenged.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.