SYRACUSE, NY -- Central New York parents who refused to vaccinate their children for religious reasons must make a pivotal decision soon that will determine if their kids can stay in school next month.

A new state law passed in June in the wake of the nation’s worst measles outbreak in decades repealed the religious exemption from immunizations required for children to attend school. Medical exemptions are still allowed. More than 26,000 kids statewide – 1,200 of them in Central New York – had religious exemptions in the 2017-2018 school year.

Children going to school in September who had religious exemptions must get their first dose of vaccinations within the first 14 days of school, under the new law. Within the first 30 days of school, parents also must prove they have booked appointments for all required follow-up doses.

Students who miss those deadlines must be kicked out of school, according to the law. The state Health Department said it will monitor schools to make sure they comply. Schools can be fined up to $2,000 for each student allowed to stay in school without meeting the vaccine requirements.

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Kids with religious exemptions attending school or day care during the summer had to get their first dose of vaccine by June 28. The law applies to public, private and parochial schools as well as child day care programs.

A lawyer for families suing the state over the issue asked a state Supreme Court judge in Albany last week to temporarily block enforcement of the new law so school is not disrupted next month for unvaccinated children. It’s unclear when the court will issue a decision. A previous request for an injunction was denied.

More than 95 percent of school children in Onondaga County are vaccinated, said Dr. Dr. Quoc Nguyen, the county health department’s medical director. State records show about 450 children in the county had religious exemptions. “Because almost all of our children are compliant, our county has been spared so far from the measles outbreak,” Nguyen said.

There are a few schools in the county, however, with high percentages of unvaccinated children who had religious exemptions. More than 68 percent of students at Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of God Academy, a Catholic school in Warners, had religious exemptions in the 2017-2018 school year, according to state data. The state also reported high rates of religious exemptions for Montessori Discovery School in Syracuse, 30 percent, and Baldwinsville Christian Academy, 10.75 percent.

Here’s state Education Department enrollment data for those three schools: Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of God, 168; Montessori Discovery School, 15; and Baldwinsville Christian Academy, 81.

Nguyen said his department has contacted those schools, but they have not responded.

Blessed Virgin Mary and Baldwinsville Christian did not respond to phone calls and emails from Syracuse.com.

Krisi Colton, director of Montessori Discovery, said state data about her school’s religious exemption rate was skewed because it did not include 3-year-olds.

“The majority of my families are very supportive of the new law,” Colton said. Children whose families don’t meet the deadlines won’t be allowed to enroll, she said.

The Onondaga County Health Department provides free vaccine to children who are uninsured at its immunization clinic open 9 a.m. to noon every Wednesday in Room 30 in the basement of the Onondaga County Civic Center.

Every year the clinic sees a surge in children getting vaccinated at the clinic in the weeks immediately before and after school opens.

This year, the clinic expects even more kids because of the new law. Nguyen said the health department has asked some of its retired nurses to help out at the clinic during the back-to-school rush.

We want to hear from Central New York parents whose children have lost religious exemptions. We’d like to know how the new law is affecting your family and what your plans are for your children returning to school in September. Please contact James T. Mulder at 315-470-2245 or jmulder@syracuse.com.