Southeast Public Health (SEPH) is reminding parents and guardians to make sure their school-aged children are fully immunized and have an up-to-date vaccine record or valid exemption on file with SEPH in order to attend school.
Under Ontario’s Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA), all elementary and secondary school students must either be immunized or have a valid exemption on record for the following diseases:
measles
mumps
rubella
diptheria
tetanus
polio
pertussis
meningococcal disease
varicella (chickenpox) – required for children born in 2010 or later
Students who do not meet ISPA requirements will be suspended from school for up to 20 school days. SEPH will review all student immunization records and enforce the ISPA in area schools during the 2025/2026 school year.
“The best way for parents to ensure that their child won’t be impacted by ISPA requirements is to check their immunization records early to ensure that everything is up to date,” says Jennifer Adams, Program Manager for Immunizations – Schools at SEPH. “Parents whose children have been immunized by their health-care provider should make sure those records have been reported to public health, and students who are behind on their vaccines should make an appointment early to make sure they can receive their vaccines before the reporting deadlines.”
SEPH will be sending notices for any students with incomplete records beginning this fall.
Students in Leeds, Grenville & Lanark Counties will be sent immunization notices beginning in November 2025, and students in Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington, Hastings and Prince Edward Counties will be sent notices in January 2026.
What steps need to be taken:
Check your child’s immunization record. This can be done by checking their Ontario Immunization Record (yellow card) or by logging into the Immunization Connect Ontario (ICON) site for the area you live in.
Book an appointment with your health-care provider to receive any missing vaccines, or at a public health immunization clinic if you don’t have a health-care provider.
Report all vaccinations to SEPH. In Ontario, health-care providers do not automatically report immunizations to public health. Parents and guardians are responsible for submitting the record.
More information and links to sites where you can book appointments at SoutheastPH.ca.
(PAUL MARTIN)
