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Superintendent of Public Instruction James Lane is reminding parents to make sure that their children’s immunizations are up to date — especially students and young children subject to new requirements that went into effect on July 1.

The 2020 legislation amended the Code of Virginia to require the following new immunizations and booster shots:

• Two doses of properly spaced human papillomavirus vaccine for all children. The first dose is required before the child enters the seventh grade.
• Two or three properly spaced doses of rotavirus vaccine, depending on the manufacturer, for children up to eight months of age.
• Two properly spaced doses of hepatitis A vaccine. The first dose must be administered at age 12 months or older. The new hepatitis A vaccine requirement is an addition to the existing kindergarten immunization requirements.
• Two properly spaced doses of meningococcal conjugate vaccine. The first is required prior to entry to the seventh grade. The second dose is required prior to entry to the 12th grade.

The new immunization requirements do not include vaccination against COVID-19. While the CDC recommends the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for children age 12 and up, Virginia state law does not require COVID-19 vaccines for enrollment in public schools.