New York’s ban on religious exemptions to vaccination for students has been getting tested as schools start denying kids who lack immunizations.

Dozens of unvaccinated students were being excluded from school following a key deadline, which required they receive the first dose of vaccines within the first 14 days of classes, educators said.

Some of the exclusions involved parents who remained undecided on immunizing their children, despite having their religious objections banned by the state law approved in June.

Other students stayed home due to vaccination appointments booked late by parents who waited too long to make the difficult decision.

And while medical exemptions remain legal, parents of several students are disputing schools’ decisions to deny medical exemption claims, educators said.

One couple sued a district in Monroe County, claiming it wrongly rejected their autistic son’s long-standing medical exemption based on new stricter guidelines this year.

Yet in the midst of reports of isolated clashes over the new law, early feedback from school officials indicated many of the 26,000 students who previously claimed religious exemptions have either been immunized or begun homeschooling.

“All things considered with the situation, while a real challenge for many families, we’re moving through it,” said Joseph Ricca, superintendent of White Plains schools.

State regulators, however, have not started tracking the vaccine mandate’s effect on enrollment statewide, suggesting reports of further complications could arise in coming days and weeks.

The tally of home-schooled students, for instance, is expected to begin in early October. Auditing of immunization records at schools, which is used to impose potential fines for violating the law, is also underway.

Anti-vaccine pushback

Meanwhile, concerns about anti-vaccine protests at schools haven’t panned out, although it seems some parents intentionally sent unvaccinated children into classes in apparent acts of civil disobedience.

“We have had reports of districts experiencing issues but, generally it seems the level is less than we would have expected,” said Bob Lowry, deputy director for the state Council of School Superintendents.

Overall it appeared the anti-vaccine pushback remained focused on state legislators and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who approved the law in June amid historic measles outbreaks in mostly Orthodox Jewish communities in Rockland County and New York City.

The spread of measles waned over the summer, but public health officials urged parents to get kids immunized to limit the risk of a resurgence during this school year.

“Parents are aware that this isn’t an individual school district making up a new policy, this is New York state law,” said Thomas Putnam, superintendent of Penfield schools in Monroe County.

“But school districts are put in the middle because we’re the one having the conversations with families.”

Schools face a fine of up to $2,000 per student admitted in violation of the law, and state Health Department officials indicated enforcement efforts remained in the early stages.

“At this point with a new law being implemented for the first time, we are trying to help the schools ensure they are in compliance,” said Jill Montag, an agency spokeswoman.

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Families react

Jen Hall, a Syracuse mother, said earlier this month that she was seeking a medical exemption for her daughter who suffers severe allergies and would be adversely affected by vaccines.

"We really hope that our kiddos will be able to go to school," she said during a rally outside the state Education Building in Albany.

"My only option is to either home school here or to give her the thing that sends her into anaphylactic shock immediately."

Another parent at the rally, Andre Boxwell of Long Island, said he was going to keep sending his son to school until he couldn't anymore.

"We decided to send him to school. We really have faith that the right thing will turn out," he said.

Kimberly Russo’s view on vaccination took a 180-degree turn seven years ago. The mom of three, living in Lyndonville, Orleans County, had all of her daughters vaccinated at a young age.

She later became uncomfortable vaccinating her children further and acquired a religious exemption from her school district.

Her youngest daughter, Grace, 14, has received all but two vaccines required under law. She started her freshman year at Lyndonville Central School several weeks ago, but was escorted out of school Wednesday morning.

“It’s like she a diseased person; that’s how people are looking at her,” said Russo. “It’s heartbreaking.”

Russo and her husband Mark explained their position to school officials before the incident occurred, but were not able to come to an understanding that allowed Grace to stay there.

The couple works construction during the day, so homeschooling isn’t feasible, said Russo. But she’s going to figure something out.

“I am going to be forced to homeschool her, somehow, someway," she said. "Whatever I can do when I get home."

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What about medical exemptions

Last month, state health officials issued new emergency rules they said would limit bogus medical exemption claims.

The new rules require doctors to fill out detailed forms about the legitimate medical reason a student can’t be fully vaccinated as required by the law, which also applies to child care.

Previously, doctors could submit a signed statement without having to fill out a form detailing why immunization may be detrimental to the child's health.

The Monroe County lawsuit involving an 11-year-old boy excluded from BOCES appears to be the first to challenge the new medical exemption rules.

His parents contend schools are struggling to interpret the new rules and making wholesale decisions to strip students of previously held medical exemptions.

“There are scores of people that are in this spot right now," said Carl J. Schwartz Jr., the student's father.

Superintendents have reported a few disputes over medical exemptions so far this school year, Lowry said, noting the administrators' group is still gathering details about implementation of the vaccine mandate, in general.

“Our advice would be if it is a complete form signed by a licensed physician, barring something glaring, it would seem appropriate to accept that,” Lowry said.

School officials in White Plains and Monroe County haven’t reported widespread medical exemption denials, according to superintendents Ricca and Putnam, who is also president of the Monroe County Council of Superintendents.

“I would be surprised if any district physician is using this as a blanket denial,” said Putnam, referring to the new rules.

Penfield has approved three out of five new medical exemption claims this year, Putnam said, and the two denials failed to meet standards connected to state and federal health agencies.

Last year, 4,320 students in public, private and parochial schools, child care centers, nursery schools and pre-kindergarten programs statewide had medical exemptions to one or more immunization required by law, according to state data.

To support the move to tighter guidelines, state health officials noted most doctors act in good faith and only issue medical exemptions for legitimate reason.

But they suggested some doctors abused the flawed system in California after it removed religious exemptions in 2015, prompting medical exemption claims to triple by 2018.

California is currently embroiled in a politically charged debate over implementing tighter rules for exemptions to vaccination for students.

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What’s next in New York

Fallout from the vaccine mandate will become clearer once the home-school numbers get reported in coming weeks, state officials and educators said.

About 21,500 students were home schooled last year statewide, and early returns from schools indicated the number will rise this year.

Penfield, for instance, had six new families start homeschooling due to the new law, Putnam said. The district previously had 83 total students home schooled last year, state data show.

Less than 20 students in White Plains district who previously claimed religious exemptions are either being home schooled or still considering other options, Ricca said.

Rockland BOCES, which serves districts across Rockland County, hasn’t seen any notable uptick in reports of students removed from public schools due to the law, a spokesman said.

The largest impacts, however, could be among private schools with lower vaccination rates.

For example, the Green Meadow Waldorf School, a private school in Rockland, lost 60 students this fall as a direct result of the state law. That includes students who are being home schooled or attending schools in other states.

Amid the reform push, some school officials also sought to limit negative impacts on students. They described offering parents help with everything from homeschooling to vaccination appointments.

“The decision to vaccinate falls on the parent and we’ve all worked not to bring the students into this,” Putnam said.

“And we’re trying to deal with the parents as opposed to putting the child in the middle of the situation.”

Includes reporting by USA TODAY Network New York staff writers Sarah Taddeo and Joseph Spector.