Beware false equivalencies on vaccines

As the Senate voted Thursday to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of Health and Human Services, those opposed to vaccination and vaccine mandates cheered. It's a worrisome moment for the nation's health. But it also speaks more broadly to the number of people, including Kennedy, who too often make assumptions or draw conclusions about vaccination and other science without factual evidence. 

That goes beyond the fundamental safety and efficacy of vaccines. To make their case, many who oppose vaccine mandates have offered a false equivalency, by suggesting that students without documentation enrolled in New York schools don't need to be vaccinated. These vaccine opponents claim the state has a set of rules for their kids that are different from the rules for kids whose families have come to the U.S. illegally.

There's just one problem: That's not true.

Kennedy's ascension to serve as the nation's top health executive is a reminder of the importance of facts at a time when someone with peculiar and contrarian views has been given a megaphone and the power to act.

So, let's look at the facts.

School-age children who come to the U.S. without proper credentials and arrive in New York are placed in school immediately, even if they lack vaccination documentation. That stems from a federal law called the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, which guarantees free public education to youth who are homeless, including refugees and other immigrant children living in temporary housing. 

New York State guidelines go further. They require those students to either show proof of vaccination or begin receiving required shots within 30 days. They are not allowed to remain in school if they don't start and continue to receive required vaccines. School districts have staff who act as McKinney-Vento "liaisons" to help new students obtain records or connect with vaccine providers, clinics or others to make sure they receive all necessary screenings and immunizations. 

Many students living here illegally have already been vaccinated, but might lack proof. These students can easily be tested to confirm whether they've been vaccinated. Sometimes, when records aren't available, students are revaccinated just to be sure. Thanks to herd immunity, the few who must catch up don't pose a significant risk to others, as long as every other student, except for the few with legitimate medical exemptions, is appropriately vaccinated.

It's easy for those who oppose state vaccine requirements to scapegoat students here illegally by suggesting that since those students are not vaccinated, no one else should have to be vaccinated, either. But it's a fallacious attempt to dismiss legitimate concerns over anti-vax sentiment and declining vaccination rates. The opponents have contrived an argument lacking any basis in reality.

No one can stay in school in New York without becoming vaccinated, unless they have a legitimate medical exemption. That's simply a fact — one that protects all of our children.