Mixed Messages: W.Va. Department of Education provides, then rescinds vaccine exemption guidance

Morrisey’s vaccine mandate met with fractured, confused response as state law remains unchanged

Marisa Jackson and her son, Maxwell, 10, live in Kanawha County. Jackson said her son, who has a genetic condition, will be put at risk if public schools must now accept children who have not been vaccinated. (Lauren Love | Courtesy photo)West Virginia’s strict school immunization laws still stand after the state House of Delegates voted down a key Senate measure during the 2025 regular legislative session that would have permitted broad religio…

Morrisey tells WV schools head to comply with vaccine exemptions executive order

West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Michele Blatt emphasized the state’s strict vaccine requirements for schoolchildren, citing the West Virginia legislature’s failure to pass a bill allowing religious or philosophical exemptions. But within hours, she rescinded the guidance at the request of Governor Patrick Morrisey, who reaffirmed that his executive order permitting such exemptions is still in effect. The incident has created confusion fo…

Mixed Messages: W.Va. Department of Education provides, then rescinds vaccine exemption guidance

CHARLESTON – A memorandum to county superintendents issued Friday by the West Virginia Department of Education requiring schools to abide by the state’s required immunization program for school-age children was rescinded later that evening after pressure from Gov. Patrick Morrisey.

W.Va. Department of Education provides, then rescinds vaccine exemption guidance

CHARLESTON – A memorandum to county superintendents issued Friday by the West Virginia Department of Education requiring schools to abide by the state’s required immunization program for school-age children was rescinded later that evening after pressure from Gov. Patrick Morrisey.

Governor Morrisey marks first 100 days in office with stop in Beckley

BECKLEY, WV (WOAY) – Patrick Morrisey stopped at the Raleigh County Commission in Beckley to reflect on his first 100 days as West Virginia’s 37th governor. He said after the legislature left, it was a busy stretch when a lot of good work was done reviewing 249 bills. The governor’s first full day in office included allowing families to apply for mandated childhood vaccine exemptions. “There are public health problems that arise in all these oth…

West Virginia Education Department Rescinds Vaccine Exemption Guidance Amid Legal Confusion

The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) has retracted a memorandum issued earlier this month that provided guidance on religious and philosophical vaccine exemptions for schoolchildren, following a request from Governor Patrick Morrisey’s office. On May 2, State Superintendent Michele Blatt released a memo instructing county superintendents to honor vaccine exemptions granted prior to May […]