, Fla. — Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier warned the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops that schools could lose state funding over allegations that they are not granting vaccine exemptions.
The warning comes after the attorney general stated that he had learned some institutions are failing to honor parents’ religious objections.
Florida law requires that students be granted an exemption from vaccine requirements if their parents have religious objections. Uthmeier sent a formal letter to the conference asserting that some schools are not following these legal requirements for student exemptions.
Uthmeier stated that some families hold religious beliefs against vaccines derived from fetal tissues. These objections form the basis for the exemptions mentioned in the letter.
The letter was addressed to the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Bishop John Noonan of the Diocese of Orlando was specifically included as a recipient of the correspondence. The Diocese of Orlando has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the letter or the status of vaccine exemptions at its schools.
Uthmeier has requested a formal response to the letter by this Friday.
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