CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia officials suspended a school vaccination mandate Wednesday after a judge ruled that parents can cite religious beliefs to opt out of vaccines required for their children to attend classes.

In issuing a permanent injunction in a lawsuit filed in June, Raleigh County Circuit Judge Michael Froble on Wednesday said children of families who object to the state's compulsory vaccination law on religious grounds will be allowed to attend school and participate in extracurricular sports.

Froble ruled that a state policy barring parents from seeking religious exemptions violates the Equal Protection for Religion Act signed into law in 2023 by then-Republican Gov. Jim Justice.

West Virginia was among just a handful of states that granted only medical exempt

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