KTAR.com
The top education official in Arizona voiced her support for vaccinations in a state that ranked among the top in the nation for exemption rates this past year.
Kathy Hoffman, Arizona’s superintendent of public instruction, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Wednesday that she strongly supports immunization as a matter of school safety.
“I strongly believe that any child that can be vaccinated should receive their vaccination because this is both a health concern as well as an academic concern,” Hoffman said.
“As superintendent of public instruction, one thing I’m concerned about is if there is any kind of outbreak…then those children would miss school and it would also cause teachers to be absent from schools. That could be a huge concern for me, and something that we need to do everything we can do prevent.”
Arizona ranked among the top five states in the nation for exemption rates in 2018, and the state Department of Health Services said more than 7,000 children had been exempted from vaccinations in 2017.
