According to a six-month long investigation into Pennsylvania schools by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, each of the Cheltenham School District’s seven schools has dropped below the herd immunity threshold of protection—which would be 95% of the district’s 4,300 students—for the measles vaccine.
Cheltenham schools are not alone: The investigation found that “school leaders have allowed thousands of children into schools without all the required vaccines even though they had no special exemptions that let them forgo the shots on religious or philosophical grounds — a violation of state vaccine laws.”
The article states that 97% of kindergarten students in the state were vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella prior to the pandemic. Since then, the number of elementary schools in the state falling below herd immunity for measles has increased from 274 to 654, mostly due to special exemptions.
The Post-Gazette noted that some states can hold local districts accountable for failing to enforce their laws on immunization, though “Pennsylvania leaves that enforcement power to the school leaders.”
In Montgomery County, health officials warned the public of a possible measles exposure in Collegeville in late January. One month later, the Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed at least one case of measles in Chester County.
In March 2025, Montgomery County officials investigated a confirmed case of measles in an unvaccinated child who visited the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in King of Prussia. In April 2025, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health announced that another case of measles was reported at Holy Redeemer Hospital in Abington Township.
In response to rising cases, Governor Josh Shapiro issued an executive order in October 2025 requiring the Department of Health to create a website for residents that provides firm “evidence-based recommendations” about the vaccines. The order also required the Department of Health to create a state-based safety net to maintain access to vaccines, even if federal recommendations change.
According to PA.gov’s school immunization web page, the immunization requirements for all grade school students include four doses of tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis, four doses of polio, two doses of measles, mumps, and rubella, three doses of hepatitis B, and two doses of varicella (chickenpox).
By seventh grade, students need one dose of tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis and one dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine. High school seniors need one dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine.
“All students regardless of classroom setting must meet the immunization requirements or risk exclusion”, the web page says.
Cheltenham schools’ representatives did not respond to interview requests, the Post-Gazette said.
From the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s website:
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