Court Upholds Vaccination Requirement For Paramedic Clinical Students

In George v. Kankakee Community College, 2016 Ill. App. Unpub. LEXIS 2760 (IL App., Dec.. 20, 2016), an Illinois state court of appeals upheld a hospital's policy requiring community college students enrolled in the clinical portion of the school's paramedic course at the hospital to receive various vaccinations.  Plaintiff Nicholas George asserted religious objections to the vaccines and argued that the religious freedom and equal protection provisions of the Illinois constitution required he be granted an exemption. The court disagreed, holding that the vaccination requirement is a neutral law of general application, and that the Illinois Constitution allows requirements that may restrict religious freedom in order to promote the safety of the citizens of the state. The court also rejected various other state law challenges.