Staten Island officials say they're concerned about unvaccinated asylum seekers in schools
NEW YORK (WABC) -- As New York City public schools begin this week, thousands of migrant children seeking asylum will be attending classes.
These students won't be facing the same vaccination requirements as the Department of Education works to speed up their entry into the classroom.
Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella worries that could place the health of the other children at risk. Fossella says that although the policy exception is in place to make life and entry into the school system easier for migrants, it is risky and hypocritical.
Fossella led a group Saturday who opposes this exception to school vaccination rules, saying it's a problematic double standard.
"We think that if you're going to impose a standard on ordinary citizens, that same standard should be imposed on individuals who come from 120 different countries and want to show up on day one for school," Fossella said.
More than 500 migrant children are enrolled to enter the New York City public school system so far this year. There were 18,500 asylum seekers added to the school system over the last school year.
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