ALBANY — In the imposing meeting room of the state Board of Regents, three women held flashcards with messages of despair: "No SAT," "No Friends," "No Prom."

Outside, hundreds of parents opposing the state's vaccination mandates crowded the entrance alongside their children, some thumping on the windows and doors chanting, "We want to go to school!"

The protesters were gathered in Albany on Monday to push the board to delay the implementation of a law that ends religious exemptions to New York's school vaccination requirements. But many say they are preparing for defeat, and a lonelier back-to-school season.

Under legislation that went into effect in June, parents have 14 days from the start of the school year in early September to prove that their child is vaccinated, or they must withdraw the student.

"There's a sense of desperation," said Maureen Chapey of Long Island, who has three children in public school and opposes the shots on "spiritual" grounds. "We don't know what's going to happen to our kids next week."

Most vaccine opponents say compliance with the new law is out of the question. The only alternative is to home-school.

"It's a little bit of panic and chaos every day," said Richard March of Poughkeepsie. "My wife had to take a leave of absence from her job so we can home-school our children, which is not sustainable by any means."

Marsh said his eldest son had a negative reaction to vaccines as an infant and later developed autoimmune issues, prompting the couple to seek exemptions for their younger two children. They considered sending them to school an hour away in Connecticut, which still allows religious exemptions.

Vaccine policy was not on the agenda at Monday's Regents meeting. Chancellor Betty Rosa warned the protesters in the room that they would be removed if they caused a disruption.

"Democracy is messy," Rosa acknowledged.

The three protesters were allowed to stay, even after they sobbed loudly while watching a back-to-school montage and interrupted the meeting, demanding to be heard. Before leaving, the women handed Rosa a stack of petitions from parents opposed to the vaccine mandate.

"I have 16-year-olds threatening to kill themselves," Rita Palma, a lobbyist from Long Island who founded an organization called My Kids My Choice, told Rosa.

But delaying the vaccine law is likely out of the board's hands. Education Department spokeswoman Emily DeSantis noted that the change in vaccination requirements was public health law, which is under the purview of the state Department of health.

"The Department of Health's regulations are currently out for public comment and we encourage concerned citizens to provide comments on the regulations through that process," DeSantis said.

The 14-day deadline may be extended in rare cases where the student is transferring from another state or country and can show a good-faith effort to get the required documentation, according to the state Health Department.

With many school districts entering their second week of classes, hope is dimming for parents whose children formerly held religious exemptions. Medical exceptions are frequently denied by school districts, parents say. The Health Department recently strengthened the process for physicians issuing medical exemptions.

Last month, a state Supreme Court judge rejected a request from parents seeking an injunction against implementation of the new law. Other efforts in state and federal courts to stave off implementation have thus far been rejected.

New York has been at the center of one of the worst measles outbreaks the country has seen in decades. As of last month, a total of 654 people were infected, and 52 of them were hospitalized, including 16 who required intensive care, according to the Health Department.

State lawmakers, who repealed all non-medical exemptions in June, say religious exemptions had been handed out far too often. They note that leaders in most major religions in the state have urged adherents to vaccinate. The notion that the shots can cause autism, a prevalent belief of some opponents of the new law, has been debunked by nearly a dozen studies.

Elimination of the religious exemption in California in 2015 following a measles outbreak resulted in increased vaccination rates in the state.

Correction: A previous version of the article indicated that the Department of Health approves or denies medical vaccine exemptions. School districts may approve or deny exemptions issued by physicians.