Florida AG Warns Catholic Schools: Accept Vaccine Exemptions or Risk Losing Voucher Funding, Letter Says
The attorney general said schools taking state vouchers must grant religious exemptions or risk losing scholarship eligibility, as 88% of Catholic students use the aid.
- On Friday, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier warned the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops that schools must grant religious vaccine exemptions or risk losing eligibility for state educational scholarship programs.
- Citing the Catholic Catechism and scripture, Uthmeier argues that Catholic doctrine does not require schools to reject vaccine exemptions, specifically challenging immunization policies from the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee that deny them.
- About 88% of the more than 94,000 students enrolled in Florida's Catholic schools rely on state-funded scholarships, part of a program serving more than 500,000 students statewide.
- FCCB spokesperson Michele Taylor said church leaders are reviewing the letter and maintained that Florida's Catholic schools are "operating in accord with the law and Church teaching."
- The warning arrives 10 days before the 2026-2027 school year opens, as Governor Ron DeSantis continues pushing to expand vaccine exemption requirements despite legislative failures to create a "conscience" category.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Uthmeier Warns Catholic Schools Over Vaccine Exemption Policies
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Friday warned Catholic schools that denying religious exemptions from student vaccination requirements could violate state law and threaten their eligibility for state scholarship programs. In a July 31 letter to Michael B. Sheedy, executive director of the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, Uthmeier said he had learned that some Catholic schools may refuse to grant religious exemptions for the upc…
Florida AG Uthmeier warns Catholic Church to accept vaccine exemptions
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is putting the Roman Catholic Church on notice – if they take taxpayer funded vouchers for their schools, they should accept vaccine exemptions for students, too.
Tallahassee Reports
News Service of FloridaUthmeier Warns Catholic Church to Accept Vaccine Exemptions
By Ana Goñi-Lessan, The News Service of Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is putting the Roman Catholic Church on notice – if they take taxpayer funded vouchers for their schools, they should accept vaccine exemptions for students, too. In a letter sent Friday to the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, Uthmeier, citing the Catholic Catechism, Pope Leo and scripture, argued Catholic doctrine does not allow its schools to reject vaccine …
Uthmeier Takes on Catholic Church: Grant Vaccine Exemptions to Students, Or Else
Attorney General James Uthmeier is putting the Roman Catholic Church on notice – if they take taxpayer funded vouchers for their schools, they should accept vaccine exemptions for students, too. In a letter sent Friday to the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, Uthmeier, citing the Catholic Catechism, Pope Leo and scripture, argued Catholic doctrine does not allow its schools to reject vaccine exemptions for religious reasons. The post Uthme…
Bay News 9
Spectrum News 13Florida attorney general urges Catholic schools to grant vaccine exemptions
James Uthmeier wrote to the FL Conference of Catholic Bishops, saying they risk eligibility for state scholarships if they don't grant the exemptions.
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