Florida threatens to defund Catholic schools in vaccine showdown

LocalPolitics
3 Aug 2026 • 10:32 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Florida threatens to defund Catholic schools in vaccine showdown

  • Florida's Attorney General James Uthmeier has threatened to pull state funding from Catholic schools if they do not grant religious exemptions for vaccine requirements.
  • Uthmeier sent a letter to the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops (FCCB) on July 31, expressing concern that some schools might deny religious exemptions based on a position from the National Catholic Bioethics Center.
  • The Attorney General stated that state law requires both public and private schools to offer religious objections to vaccine policies, regardless of the Catholic Church's stance on vaccine production.
  • Failure to comply could jeopardize state educational scholarship programs, which are crucial for over 95 percent of students attending Catholic schools in Miami.
  • This move is part of a larger effort by Florida lawmakers, including Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, to challenge vaccine mandates, despite warnings from health and education experts about potential public health risks.

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