On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new data showing 4.2% of kindergartners had an exemption for at least one required vaccine during the 2025-26 school year. This left about 157,000 new schoolchildren without full coverage for at least one state-mandated vaccine last school year, CDC data shows—nearly 20,000 more than the year before.

The share of students with a vaccine exemption is the highest on record and twice as high as it was a decade ago. Last school year, only 0.2% of exemptions were for medical reasons, a share that has held steady for years.

Exemptions increased in all but nine states, and nearly half of states report exemptions exceeding 5%, according to the CDC.

During the 2025-2026 school year, vaccination coverage among kindergartners in the states decreased for all reported vaccines from the year before, ranging from 92.0% for diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP) to 92.4% for measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR) and polio vaccine. The new CDC data shows that the MMR vaccination rate among kindergartners fell only slightly last school year, from 92.5% to 92.4%, but that’s still well below the 95% coverage needed to provide herd immunity and prevent outbreaks, CNN reported.

Coverage with MMR, DTaP, poliovirus vaccine (polio), and varicella vaccine (VAR) decreased in more than half of states, compared with coverage the year before, CDC data showed. Additionally, the number of kindergartners attending school without documentation of completing the MMR vaccine series was about 280,000 during the 2025-2026 school year.

States are still reviewing the executive order signed by President Donald Trump, which aims to reduce the number of vaccinations recommended for children. However, many states, including those that follow federal guidance for vaccine policy and those that have broken from federal recommendations, say that it does not require any changes at the state level, CNN reported.

Columbus, Ohio, is making sports history as the first city in the country to provide free period products at all its major sports venues. Huntington Park, home of the Columbus Clippers, joined Ohio Stadium, ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, Nationwide Arena, Historic Crew Stadium, and the Schottenstein Center in providing free-vend period products to guests. Across the venues, Aunt Flow has now installed 165 free-vend period product dispensers.

Columbus is gearing up to host major sporting events, including the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) Division I Women’s Final Four and NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship at Nationwide Arena in 2027, and a 2028 National Women’s Soccer League expansion team at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field.

City leaders and local partners view the Huntington Park milestone as part of a broader effort to strengthen the city’s sports infrastructure, improve guest experience, and promote inclusivity. The move to expand access to basic necessities across all of its major sports venues builds on a nearly decade-long push for menstrual equity that began with a 2017 pilot program in city recreation centers and homeless shelters.

This milestone also aligns with IgniteHER Columbus, a citywide initiative led by Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and First Lady Shannon Ginther in partnership with the Greater Columbus Sports Commission and Experience Columbus, which aspires to secure Columbus’ place as the nation’s capital for girls and women’s sports.

“IgniteHER is all about empowering women through sports, and as part of that, I want to grow our fandoms cheering for and made up of women here in Columbus,” said Mayor Andrew Ginther. “Offering free period products across all of our major sports venues chips away at another barrier girls and women face, and creates spaces where they feel seen, valued, and confident.”

The announcement comes at a time when recession and tariffs are impacting the cost of these necessities for women and girls. Additionally, it accelerates a growing trend where sports venues are prioritizing guest experience, fan comfort, and period-product access as an American with Disabilities Act-compliant restroom essential.