Parents and guardians across Halton Region, including Burlington, have until Friday, March 27, 2026, at 4:30 p.m. to submit their children’s vaccination records to avoid school suspensions. Halton Region Public Health is requiring these updates for students born between 2008 and 2013, as well as those born in 2016, 2017, and 2018, to ensure compliance with provincial health laws. This deadline affects thousands of students across elementary and secondary schools in the local community.
Currently, 8,625 students across the region are at risk of being suspended, including 5,157 elementary students and 3,468 high school students. Many of these children may already have their shots, but because healthcare providers in Ontario do not share this information with public health units automatically, parents must report the records themselves. Families are legally responsible for making sure the health department has the most recent information on file.
According to Halton Region Public Health, children must show proof of protection against nine different diseases, such as measles, polio, and whooping cough. This requirement is part of the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA), a provincial law that helps keep schools safe from outbreaks. Students without a record or a valid exemption on file will face suspension until the paperwork is submitted.
Records can be submitted online through the region’s website, by calling 311, or by using mail and fax services. Families are encouraged to act quickly because the provincial online reporting system, Immunization Connect Ontario (ICON), will be shut down for maintenance starting at 8:00 p.m. on Friday through 8:00 a.m. Monday. This means that parents who miss the Friday afternoon deadline will have limited ways to submit information over the weekend.
For those who still need to catch up on shots, the region has been hosting community clinics since March 10, 2026. Dr. Deepika Lobo, the Commissioner of Health and Medical Officer of Health, is leading the effort to bring student records into compliance. Parents can contact the health department directly if they are unsure which vaccines their child might be missing.
