Are CT vaccine requirements the same for private, public schools?

Connecticut laws establish vaccination requirements and exemptions for school children across the state, regardless of the type of school they attend.

General Statutes 10-204a states that local and regional school boards and any “similar body governing a nonpublic school or schools” require students to have certain immunizations like those protecting against measles, mumps, and polio before being permitted to enroll.

In 2021, lawmakers passed Public Act 21-6, which removed the option for new students to claim a religious exemption. There are only medical exemptions for students with documented medical contraindications to specific vaccines.

If the parents or guardian of any child aren’t able to pay for an immunization, General Statutes 10-204d mandates that “on the recommendation of” the school system’s governing body the immunization cost be paid by the town.