Toronto Public Health (TPH) says it is pausing student suspension orders related to vaccine records for the remainder of the school year to reduce administrative burdens on families and schools.
The city says the change to its Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) assessment program takes effect immediately for the 2025-2026 school year and is intended to give students more time to complete outstanding records.
Under Ontario’s ISPA, students are required to have routine childhood vaccinations on file or submit an exemption in order to attend school.
Once records are complete, they must be reported to TPH.
According to the city, more than 50,000 student records were not up to date at the start of the school year.
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While many have since been updated, the city says about 30,000 student records remain outstanding.
Toronto Public Health says it is pausing suspension orders for the rest of the school year while continuing efforts to help families meet ISPA requirements.
However, the city says the vaccine or exemption requirements themselves remain in place.
In a statement on Tuesday, TPH said the decision was also made to reflect barriers some families face in accessing vaccination services or navigating reporting systems and is intended to minimize disruptions to students’ learning.
The agency says it is providing community vaccination clinics where OHIP cards are not required, along with multilingual “how-to” resources and support from public health nurses who can connect with families by phone or through schools.
Under Ontario’s Immunization of School Pupils Act, children attending school between the ages of four and 17 are required to have routine vaccinations on record or obtain a valid exemption, if parents want to pursue that option, under provincial law.
The law allows exemptions for medical reasons or for reasons of conscience or religious belief.
For non-medical exemptions, parents or guardians must complete an education session designed to answer common questions about immunization and provide information about vaccine-preventable diseases before submitting the required forms
Medical exemptions require a Statement of Medical Exemption form signed by a physician or nurse practitioner, which must be submitted to the local public health unit.
According to TPH, public health units maintain these records so they can respond in the event of outbreaks and vaccine-preventable diseases in schools.
TPH said it is currently assessing students in Grades 2 through 5 attending Toronto public schools.
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