A group of California parents and the nonprofit Education 4 All have filed a federal lawsuit against the state of California, arguing that the state's new mandatory vaccination law violates children's right to education.

The right to education is guaranteed by the California constitution. The new law, however, bars children from both public and private schools if they have not received all 10 vaccines on the state's required vaccine schedule. This leaves parents who have strong vaccination objections without any options other than homeschooling, independent study programs or moving – options that may not be available to poorer families.

The lawsuit seeks to have the law, SB277, declared unconstitutional, and is asking for its implementation to be delayed until the matter is decided.

SB277 "has made second class citizens out of children who for very compelling reasons are not [fully] vaccinated," said plaintiff's attorney Robert T. Moxley.
 

Among strictest laws in nation

The debate preceding the passage of SB277 was among the fiercest ever seen in the California capitol. The law was pushed through following the 2014 Disneyland measles outbreak, which health officials blamed – with little scientific support – on communities with low vaccination rates.