HHS investigating claims school vaccinated student despite religious exemption

December 10, 2025

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has launched an investigation into a complaint that an unidentified school in the Midwest, vaccinated a student with a valid religious exemption and without parental consent.

The Christian Post reports that federal health officials announced the investigation last week after officials said school authorities administered a vaccine to a student despite having a religious exemption submitted under state law.

HHS said the vaccine was supplied through the federal Vaccines for Children program, which is administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to HHS, schools and medical practices, are required to adhere to state laws on religious and other exemptions from compulsory vaccination requirements.

The agency’s Office for Civil Rights will now determine whether the still-unnamed school violated those obligations.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that any HHS-backed grant recipient must comply with both federal and state laws protecting parental rights.

In a video statement, Kennedy said, “When any institution — school or doctor’s office or clinic — disregards religious exemptions, it doesn’t just break trust, it also breaks law. It fractures the sacred bond between families and people entrusted with their children’s care. We are not going to tolerate it.”

According to the Christian Post, this is the latest in a string of cases involving HHS actions on religious exemptions.

Photo: top, Credit: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images