Lawmakers to consider eliminating vaccination requirement for students

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) – South Dakota lawmakers will weigh a proposal to do away with vaccination requirements for students. House Majority Leader Lee Qualm, a Republican from Platte, introduced a bill that would stop schools and colleges from requiring vaccinations for students to enter school.

The state currently allows vaccination exemptions for students who have weakened immune systems or who have religious objections. The bill would also raise the punishment for schools and physicians that “compel” someone to get a vaccination from a Class 2 misdemeanor to a Class 1 misdemeanor.