TORONTO, September 2, 2026 – Toronto Public Health is reminding families that student immunization records will continue to be reviewed in the new school year, with Grade 2 and Grade 11 students among the main groups being checked this year. Students who have not completed required vaccinations, submitted records or obtained a valid exemption may later face school suspension.
This year’s review mainly involves Grade 2 students born in 2019 and Grade 11 students born in 2010. If records in the public health system are incomplete, parents will receive a notice outlining the missing immunization information and the deadline to respond. Before a suspension order is formally issued, families still have time to catch up on vaccines, update records or complete the required exemption process. Receiving a notice does not mean a student will be suspended immediately.
Under Ontario rules, students must receive required vaccines according to age, including vaccines against measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, pertussis and meningococcal disease. Some students also need to provide records related to the chickenpox vaccine. The specific vaccines that need to be updated depend on the student’s age and previous immunization history.
Toronto Public Health also reminds families that even if a student has already received the required vaccines from a family doctor or another health-care provider, the records may not automatically appear in the public health system. Parents still need to report and update the information themselves through Immunization Connect Ontario, also known as ICON.
For students who were vaccinated in China or other countries, parents can submit existing vaccination booklets, immunization certificates or other records to public health for review. Because vaccine names, timing and doses may differ from country to country, families who are unsure whether their records meet Ontario requirements can submit the records they have first, and then follow advice from public health or medical professionals on whether additional vaccines are needed.
If a student is missing required vaccines, families can contact their family doctor or book an appointment at a Toronto Public Health community clinic. Students without an Ontario Health Card do not need to worry. Even without provincial health coverage, they can request the required number from public health and then submit immunization records.
It is worth noting that some parents may mistakenly believe that schools, family doctors or clinics automatically report student vaccination records for them. Some families only discover that records are still incomplete after receiving a notice from public health.
Toronto Public Health recommends that parents check their child’s registered immunization records as early as possible. This is especially important for families with students in the two grades being prioritized this year, as well as families who recently arrived in Toronto from overseas. Preparing existing vaccination records in advance can help avoid disruptions to regular school attendance caused by records not being updated in time.（LJI by Yuanyuan）
