Some parents in the Hudson Valley are opting to home-school their children instead of giving them vaccines.
Unvaccinated children claiming religious exemptions will not be allowed to attend public schools starting Friday.
The parents of a student in the Monroe-Woodbury Central School District say removing the religious exemption is unfair. The parents say their 6-year-old child spent his last day in public school Thursday, and it's unclear when he will be able to return.
Melissa Tullino has two sons in elementary school. Her oldest was vaccinated as an infant and had bad reactions. He now has a medical vaccine exemption and can attend public school.
The Tullinos began researching what is in vaccines, and say they found ingredients made from pigs, dogs and aborted fetuses.
As devout Catholics and pro-lifers. the Tullinos decided to not vaccinate their youngest son Mason who is now in second grade.
Following an outbreak of measles in New York, the state passed a law in June ending religious exemptions. Now unvaccinated students like Mason are being barred from attending public schools past the first two weeks.
The Tullinos believe the state has no right to object to their religious reasons for not vaccinating and are now planning to move out of state.
The spokesperson for the Monroe-Woodbury Central School District says they respect a parent’s right to choose not to vaccinate but they have an obligation to follow the law.