Flu shots now required for most Massachusetts students, from pre-school to graduate school; home-schoolers exempt

The state Department of Public Health announced today that it is now requiring all students and participants in pre-K programs to get a flu shot by Dec. 31 - as part of an effort to reduce "flu-related illness and ​the overall impact of respiratory illness during the COVID-19 pandemic."

Students will be expected to have received a flu vaccine by December 31, 2020 for the 2020-2021 influenza season, unless either a medical or religious exemption is provided. Also exempted are K-12 students who are homeschooled and higher education students who are completely off-campus and engaged in remote learning only.

Elementary and secondary students who are enrolled in remote-learning programs, however, are not exempt, DPH says, adding that college students who come here on exchange programs or who attend an actual, physical class, or participate in any campus activities, even if just once, must also get a shot.