Photo Credit: Getty Images
Up to ninety unvaccinated students at a Los Angeles County elementary school have been asked to stay home while officials deal with an outbreak of chickenpox.
Students at Mariposa Elementary in Agoura Hills have been told to stay away for at least three weeks to prevent the spread of the disease. About 25 percent of the school's 400 students are not vaccinated according to a report by ABC 7.
After three cases across three different grades were reported, Dan Stepenosky, the superintendent of Las Virgenes Unified School District says the health department told them that the school district should start excluding those students who are unvaccinated. A new state law, signed by Jerry Brown last year, removed personal and religious belief exemptions from parents who do not want to vaccinate their children.
If a parent files a letter, or affidavit that states their beliefs opposed to immunization prior to Jan. 1st, 2016, their exemption would apply until the next grade their child enters.
Some parents say forcing students to be vaccinated is a violation of their civil rights.