Is University of California Vaccine Policy Preventing Top Talent from Admission to State Schools?

High school senior Madeline Scott was so excited when she received the acceptance text from UC Berkeley that she called her mother immediately. “I got into UC Berkeley,” she gushed. The euphoria didn’t last. When her mother, Tammy Rae Scott, signed onto the Berkeley admissions website, she learned about an apparent University of California policy requiring that incoming students be vaccinated for measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis and meningitis. They also must undergo screening for tuberculosis. Madeline hasn’t had an immunization since age 3 when she had an adverse reaction to the MMR shot for measles, mumps and rubella, her mother said. “If I chose to attend Berkeley, I would have to catch up on 17 years worth of vaccinations,” said Madeline Scott, who lives in Arcata. “I feel that Berkeley is infringing on my right to refuse medical procedures.”