Lansing-area religious and Montessori schools have more unvaccinated kids

November 6, 2017

Pastor Fred McGlone, superintendent at New Covenant Christian School in Waverly, has noticed a shift after more than 30 years working in education.

It seems to him that more parents are anxious about vaccines.

Last year, five of the 12 kindergartners at New Covenant had non-medical waivers to skip vaccines. That’s nearly 42%, the highest rate in the tri-county area.

“It seems like there’s more interest in natural, homeopathic types of medicine,” McGlone said. “In our experience, we have young parents who have heard this or that about vaccines.”

In the Lansing region, religious schools and Montessori schools are the most likely to enroll children who are not fully vaccinated, mimicking a pattern that can be found statewide.

“We do not discourage parents from having their children vaccinated,” McGlone said. “We are blessed to have families that care deeply about their children. Ultimately, it is up to them and we respect their decisions. If they ask, I will say that I had my children vaccinated.”

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