Copyright Kingstonist
Southeast Public Health (SEPH) has issued a release, reminding parents and guardians to make sure their school-aged children are fully immunized and have an up-to-date vaccine record or a valid exemption on file with SEPH in order to attend school. According to the release, issued on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, under Ontario’s Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA), all elementary and secondary school students must either be immunized or have a valid exemption on record for the following diseases: measles mumps rubella diptheria tetanus polio pertussis meningococcal disease varicella (chickenpox) – required for children born in 2010 or later SEPH said that students who do not meet ISPA requirements will be suspended from school for up to 20 school days. The local health unit will review all student immunization records and enforce the ISPA in area schools during the 2025/2026 school year. In response to Kingstonist inquiries, SEPH shared that as of Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, there were 15,262 students overdue for vaccines required by the Immunization of School Pupils Act across Southeast Public Health’s region which represents 19.8 per cent of the student population. “This number includes students who may have already received the required vaccines but have not submitted an up-to-date record,” Sara Hart, Communications Specialist for SEPH, told Kingstonist in an email. “This number represents data across the entire region, and doesn’t differ significantly from what we would have seen last year had the former agencies been merged at that time. For context, there are 77,079 students in the SEPH region.” SEPH will be sending notices for any students with incomplete records beginning this fall, according to the release. “The best way for parents to ensure that their child won’t be impacted by ISPA requirements is to check their immunization records early to ensure that everything is up to date,” said Jennifer Adams, Program Manager for Immunizations (in schools) at SEPH. “Parents whose children have been immunized by their health-care provider should make sure those records have been reported to public health, and students who are behind on their vaccines should make an appointment early to make sure they can receive their vaccines before the reporting deadlines.” Students in Leeds, Grenville & Lanark Counties will be sent immunization notices beginning in November 2025, and students in Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington, Hastings and Prince Edward Counties will be sent notices in January 2026. In the release, the SEPH detailed what steps need to be taken: Check your child’s immunization record. This can be done by checking their Ontario Immunization Record (yellow card) or by logging into the Immunization Connect Ontario (ICON) site for the area you live in. For instructions in your area, visit: Leeds, Grenville & Lanark Counties Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Counties Hastings and Prince Edward Counties Book an appointment with your health-care provider to receive any missing vaccines, or at a Public Health immunization clinic if you don’t have a health-care provider. For SEPH clinics in your area, visit: Leeds, Grenville & Lanark Counties Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Counties Hastings and Prince Edward Counties Report all vaccinations to SEPH. In Ontario, health-care providers do not automatically report immunizations to public health. Parents and guardians are responsible for submitting the record. To submit records for your local area, visit:
