First back to school in Bay Area with new California vaccination requirements

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- It's back to school in the South Bay this week and it's the first back to school under a new California law that changed vaccination requirements. Parents can no longer opt out due to their personal beliefs. We found one mother who is refusing to comply.

Karen Brown's daughters are getting their flu shots; they're already fully vaccinated for school.

"I don't think one kid not being vaccinated should affect an entire group of children, and that's what worries me," said Brown.

Starting this year in California, students must be vaccinated, unless they have a medical reason, like undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. In the San Jose Unified School District, 37 kids have a medical exemption out of 32,000.

RELATED: California's new vaccination law in effect

"It's very good news to me. It means when there's a pertussis outbreak, it's less likely to spread at San Jose Unified. When there's a measles outbreak, it's less likely to spread at San Jose Unified," said Melinda Landau, R.N., San Jose Unified School District.

What's no longer allowed under the law is a personal belief exemption.

"I just feel like when there's a risk for any kind of medical procedure there should always be a choice," said Kristen Kinne, mom.

Kinne says her daughter had a bad reaction to a vaccination and she will not comply with the new law. She's home schooling this year then moving out of state.

"It's going to be a hard transition to move away from all of my family and start over in a whole new state but I am so disappointed in California," said Kinne.

Doctor Kjartan Armann is a pediatrician in San Jose; he says vaccinations save lives.

"Measles does kill people, measles does cause encephalitis; it causes serious side effects so that's the disease, not the immunization," said Armann.

San Jose Unified starts school on Wednesday. A student without a medical waiver and without their vaccinations will be sent home.

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