A record 9.7% of Oregon kindergartners claimed nonmedical exemptions for the 2024-25 school year, according to the Oregon Health Authority.
That represents a nearly 1% increase from 2024’s 8.8% of nonmedical exemptions, the fourth-highest nonmedical exemption in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Paul Cieslak, medical director for communicable diseases and immunizations at OHA, said communities can be weakened by exemptions…