Religious Exemptions and Our Annual Conference

This weekly segment by Democrats for Education Reform CT looks at the top education stories Democrats are watching, providing bite-sized analysis and links to recent articles. On the roster this week: religious exemptions to school immunizations, and our annual conference.

Religious Exemptions to School Immunizations

Governor Lamont’s administration has taken a strong stance in favor of safe and healthy classrooms--overruling the Commissioner of Public Health on the importance of releasing school-level immunization data. This week the Governor also announced his intention to pursue a repeal of religious exemptions. We firmly believe this is the right move for our state, where claims of religious exemptions are on the rise. Coming next week: we are hosting a forum on the topic, featuring Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, Senator Will Haskell, and Public Health Committee Chair Representative Jonathan Steinberg.

• Governor Lamont Overrules Commissioner of Public Health (CT Mirror)

• Governor Lamont intention to end religious exemptions (Wall Street Journal)

• Amy’s press statement regarding Governor’s position on religious exemptions (DFER CT)

• Save the Date for our forum on immunizations (ERN CT)

Our Annual Conference

This week, the DFER CT team is in at Philos--an annual convention that engages policymakers, education advocates, and thought leaders in discussions about how to improve American public education--hosted by our 501(c)(3) affiliate, Education Reform Now. The event, held in Washington, D.C. this year, will feature Former US Attorney General The Honorable Eric Holder and Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo. We’ll give you the highlights next week!

• Recap of Philos 2018 in Boulder, CO (VIDEO)

• About Philos 2019 (ERN)