The claim: Court ruled schools can ‘force-vaccinate’ students A Dec. 2 Instagram post ( direct link , archive link ) includes an image of a news headline that states, “Schools Can Force-Vaccinate Children Against Parents’ Wishes, State Supreme Court Rules.” It also includes a photo of an X post claiming a 6-year-old boy was “forced to take a Covid mRNA injection by his school.
” The Instagram post received more than 2,000 likes in 11 days, and similar versions have also circulated on the platform. More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page Our rating: False The Vermont Supreme Court ruling this post references doesn’t permit schools to “force-vaccinate” students, it addresses whether a school was civilly liable for accidentally vaccinating the wrong student. Although the boy was vaccinated without his parents’ consent, court documents describe the incident as unintentional.
Court didn't permit force-vaccinations The headline featured in the post comes from Slay News, which has previously published misinformation that USA TODAY has debunked . In this case, the story and headline mischaracterize a court action that was about civil liability in a specific, unique circumstnace, not setting policy on forced vaccinations. The claim stems from a July 26 Vermont Supreme Court ruling related to a 6-year-old boy who was vaccinated against COVID-19 without his parents' consent during a 2021 state-sponsored clini.
