The real back-to-school vaccine question isn't about science — it's about control

Every August and September, parents face a familiar ritual: purchasing school supplies, meeting teachers, and filling out a thick stack of medical forms. For decades, the mandatory immunization checklist was the most predictable part of this routine. School nurses filed the records away, classrooms opened, and the system functioned without much noise.

The post-COVID-19 era changed that dynamic entirely. Today, as parents and educators sign off on these health schedules, those routine forms feel heavy with political and legal tension...