Gov. Patrick Morrisey speaks at a June 24 press conference.
BECKLEY – West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey is supporting a lawsuit against the state Board of Education’s stance on religious exemptions for vaccinations.
Morrisey held a press conference June 24 with attorney Aaron Siri announcing a lawsuit filed on behalf of Miranda Guzman, a Raleigh County mother against the state Board of Education and the Raleigh County BOE.
The governor said his administration supports such a legal challenge to defend the religious liberty of West Virginia families.
Guzman is seeking a religious exemption from mandatory vaccinations for her four-year-old daughter. Her request is grounded in her faith-based objections to the use of fetal cells to develop vaccines.
Although Guzman and her daughter initially received an exemption under Morrisey’s Executive Order earlier this year enforcing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 2023, the exemption later was denied by the Raleigh County Board of Education.
“As governor, I will always defend the religious liberty of West Virginians, and I won’t allow unelected bureaucrats at the state Board of Education to stand in the way,” Morrisey said. “Religious liberty is already enshrined in West Virginia law – and we are going to enforce that law.”
At the press conference, Morrisey said his administration will respect the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and give meaning to it. When the law is interpreted alongside the state’s current vaccine policy, Morrisey said religious liberties must be upheld and called on schools to honor the religious exemptions.
“West Virginia leads the nation in vaccination rates, and we can lead again—this time by proving that protecting public health and respecting parental rights are not mutually exclusive,” said Dr. Arvin Singh, West Virginia Secretary of Health. “With Governor Morrisey’s leadership, we’re restoring trust, transparency, and truth in how we protect our children.”
A leader of a group that supports immunizations expressed disappointment with Morrisey’s support of litigation against a state government agency.
“It’s frustrating to see state leaders wasting time and taxpayer money for something so clearly out of step with what the law — and the people — support,” said Jessie Ice, PhD, co-director of West Virginia Families for Immunizations. “While we agree with the importance of religious freedom, no established religion disavows vaccines. We know that religious exemptions to vaccines are used inappropriately in other states.
“Why would the governor put kids at risk by supporting a lawsuit based on misinformation and junk science? Today’s press conference is a distraction from the real issue: we have vaccine laws that work, and this attempt to undermine them puts West Virginia children and communities at risk.”
Despite Morrisey’s executive order, the state board voted earlier this month to overrule the order and to continue following state law regarding mandatory vaccines.
“The WVBE directed the State Superintendent of Schools to notify all school districts to follow the law that has been in effect since 1937,” the board said in June 12 statement. “This is in line with the Action of the West Virginia Legislature during the 2025 Regular Session, which did not vote in favor of religious exemptions for vaccines.”
WVBOE spokeswoman Christy Day said the board has not been served with the complaint. But she said the board stands by its June 12 statement.
“The intent of the state Board is to do what is best for the 241,000 children, 23,000 educators and 15,000 service personnel in our 629 public schools,” that statement also said. “This includes taking the important steps of protecting the school community from the real risk of exposure to litigation that could result from not following vaccination laws.”
Ice also disagreed with Siri referring to medical professionals who support strong vaccine policies as “bullies and dictators.”
“(That) shows just how far attorney Siri is from the reality of the situation at hand,” Ice said. “If parents choose not to vaccinate their children, they have the right to do so, but those children do not have the right to then potentially bring deadly diseases to the classroom, where other children and adults who may not be vaccinated for medical reasons would be put at risk.”
Guzman is being represented by Siri, Elizabeth A. Brehm, Buck Dougherty, Catherine Cline and Walker D. Moller of Siri & Glimstad in New York, by Christopher Wiest of Covington, Ky., and by John H. Bryan of West Union. The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Todd Kirby.
Raleigh Circuit Court case number 25-C-230
