Florida AG Pressures Catholic Schools on Vaccine Exemptions, Links to Voucher Funding
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is pressuring Catholic schools across Florida to grant religious exemptions for student vaccinations. He warned that if schools continue to deny these exemptions, they may lose state tuition voucher funding. This action comes as many…
Tampa St. Petersburg, FL, July 31, 2026 —
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has directed Catholic schools throughout the state to provide religious exemptions for student vaccinations, or risk losing access to state tuition voucher funding.
The directive from Attorney General Uthmeier states that schools continuing to deny these exemptions may face consequences related to their participation in state-funded voucher programs. The attorney general’s office did not immediately provide further details on the specific actions that could be taken or the timeline for compliance.
This push comes amid a disagreement over the interpretation of religious objections to vaccinations within the Catholic school system. Many Catholic schools in Florida have reportedly argued that the Church does not classify vaccines derived from fetal cells as “intrinsically evil.” Consequently, these institutions have not been recognizing religious exemptions on these specific grounds, even though Florida state law permits such exemptions.
The attorney general’s office has indicated that a failure to comply with the directive regarding religious exemptions could impact the schools’ eligibility for state tuition voucher funding. The specific financial implications or mechanisms by which funding could be withheld were not detailed.
The situation highlights a tension between state-level mandates for religious exemptions and the internal policies of religious educational institutions regarding vaccine requirements.
Story summarized from the original created by By Romy Ellenbogen, Times staff on www.tampabay.com, see more information here.
