Supreme Court won’t hear challenge to vaccine rules

Listen to this article

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court won’t hear a challenge to New York state’s requirement that all children be vaccinated before they can attend public school.

The justices on Monday let stand an appeals court ruling that said the policy does not violate students’ constitutional right of religious freedom.

The appeals court had also upheld a federal judge’s ruling that students exempted from the immunization policy for religious reasons could still be barred from school during an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease.

Three parents had challenged the requirement after their children were barred from attending school due to the policy.

New York officials said the policy was in the best interest of public health.