Prepare and protect loved ones ahead of changes for School Exclusion Day 2026

With school and early learning in full swing, Washington County Public Health (WCPH) staff encourage parents, caregivers and families to prepare their children early for School Exclusion Day 2026. This is to ensure they catch up on vaccinations that protect them against vaccine-preventable diseases, especially with new changes in effect for school exclusion.

Under Oregon law, school exclusion requires all K-12 students — as well as children attending day care/children’s facilities — are up to date with specific vaccine series based on their age or grade before school exclusion arrives. Meeting this requirement keeps students in school, since those without up-to-date vaccination records are sent home as part of school exclusion or in the event of a disease outbreak.

As of Aug. 1, 2025, the changes to Oregon law include both a later date for school exclusion, and new documentation requirements around chickenpox immunity. Moving forward, school exclusion now lands on the fourth Wednesday of February – Feb. 25 in 2026. The change gives parents and caretakers more time to schedule their children’s needed vaccinations before submitting related records or documentation to schools and facilities.

“Between caring for their kids and themselves to working full time or even multiple jobs, we understand families often have a lot on their plate already,” said Washington County Health Officer Christina Baumann, MD. “We’re hopeful this extension gives them more flexibility to get the most protection for their children for the remainder of the school year.”

Additionally, families of new students starting kindergarten must provide documentation showing either of the following:

• That students have received the varicella vaccine, a one-time shot that protects against chickenpox.
• The results of a titer test showing they have enough antibodies for immunity against chickenpox or physician verification of previous varicella infection.

This rule change on documentation ensures schools and children’s facilities have accurate, updated records on students’ immunity to chickenpox. This is important as cases of chickenpox have been rare in recent years. Anyone who has previously turned in their children’s history of chickenpox before the changes in August will have their records brought over to the current system and do not need new documentation.

“Preventable diseases like chickenpox, pertussis and measles can spread quickly among unprotected students, especially in indoor spaces like classrooms, school hallways and child care,” said Dr. Baumann. “Up to date vaccinations effectively protect not only the kids who get them, but those around them if enough people are vaccinated in a given setting.”

In the 2024-2025 school year, Washington County data show that:

• 93% of K-12 students in Washington County were caught up on school-required vaccinations.
• 79% of children 19 months through 5 years old were caught up on vaccinations required for schools and children’s facilities.

During the 2024-2025 academic year, there were 257 pertussis cases in Washington County. Nearly 70% of these cases were school-aged children and about 15% were children under the age of five. While Washington County’s last measles case was reported in 2019, there was a measles outbreak affecting 30 individuals in the summer of 2024 in Marion and Clackamas Counties. All measles cases were unvaccinated. Over 60% were school-aged children and 10% were children under the age of five. Additional information about pertussis and measles cases in Oregon is available at OHA’s Monthly Communicable Disease Surveillance Report.

Families with children who don’t submit updated vaccination records by Jan. 2026 will get a reminder letter from WCPH mailed out to them in early February about school exclusion. Copies of those letters will also go to schools and children’s facilities. If you get a letter in the mail and feel you received it in error, please check with your child’s school or facility.

You will have until Feb. 25 to submit your updated records. After Feb. 25, children who are not up to date or do not have complete documentation will be excluded until parents or caregivers submit up-to-date vaccination documentation. Parents and caregivers with questions about vaccinations or access to vaccines should contact their doctor, health care provider or their nearest school-based health center (SBHC):

Aside from SBHCs, Neighborhood Health Center is reachable at 503-941-3016 and Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center is reachable at 503-601-7400.

Those without a primary care doctor or insurance can reach out to Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center or Neighborhood Health Center for financial assistance. Additional resources include:

• 211 Info | With specializations in health and social service assistance, 211 can help you get the latest vaccines or a doctor if you don’t have one. They can be reached at [email protected] or by dialing 2-1-1. Language interpreters are available.
• Vaccines for Children program (VFC) | VFC provides low- or no-cost vaccinations for children ages 0-18 who are enrolled in Oregon Health Plan (OHP/Medicaid), uninsured, and/or American Indian/Alaska Native.

More details about infant, child and adolescent immunization schedules are available on WCPH’s Immunizations page. Information about the COVID-19 vaccine is available on WCPH’s ‘Respiratory Viruses: COVID-19, RSV and Flu’ page, which will be updated as more information becomes available.