Home » Health Topics & Programs » Vaccines (immunizations) » Immunization records and reporting » Vaccinations required to attend school

Vaccinations required to attend school

Effective January 2023, Public Health Sudbury & Districts is resuming enforcement of the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA), which was postponed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic response. A provincial law, the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) R.S.O.1990, requires all students in Ontario to be up to date on immunizations in order to continue in-person attendance at school.

Children who follow the routine childhood immunization schedule (Government of Ontario) will receive all the vaccines needed at the right time to attend school. Students who do not have up-to-date vaccinations and records on file with the Health Unit could be suspended from school until both are updated.

School-based immunization program

Public Health Sudbury & Districts’ nurses provide the Meningococcal, Hepatitis B, and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines in school-based immunization clinics for students in Grade 7. Immunization clinics are held two or three times during the school year (depending on the size of the school).

Students require consent from a parent or guardian to receive these immunizations at school. Consent forms are sent home through your child’s school in early September. Please sign and return your child’s consent forms to the school within one week. Consent forms and fact sheets are also digitally available for download below:

Eligible students that do not receive the vaccine at their school can get it at one of Public Health’s offices or through their health care provider.

At this age, the vaccines are publicly funded and free of charge.

Reminder: Immunization against meningococcal disease is required to attend school in Ontario.

Reporting vaccination

You have several options to report your child’s vaccinations.

Vaccination exemptions

If your child requires an exemption from vaccination for medical, religious, or conscientious reasons, you must submit a form.

This item was last modified on September 13, 2023