CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — During a West Virginia State Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, action was not taken in response to Governor Patrick Morrisey's executive order allowing for religious exemptions to childhood vaccines required for public school attendance.

According to West Virginia State Superintendent of Schools Michele Blatt, they intend to take the issue up again during their June meeting as she said talks continue with the governor and the legislature about how to best navigate standing state law and Morrisey's executive order.

The board had 14 speakers signed up to speak during the Wednesday meeting and nearly all of them spoke against allowing religious exemptions, one of those speakers was Kimberly McAdoo, a Putnam County mom. She was joined by medical professionals, lawmakers and other school representatives who agreed.

“I find myself repeatedly asking why. Why are we still debating the necessity of vaccinations that have for decades proven effective with safeguarding our children’s health?" she said.

There was some initial confusion following the 2025 West Virginia Legislative Session after the House struck down the bill that would have allowed for religious exemptions for vaccines. The confusion came when Morrisey double downed on his executive order saying he would not rescind and that it was what the schools and the West Virginia Department of Health would be ordered to follow.

He recently sent out further guidance for the schools in the state telling them to honor and accept religious exemptions.

About two weeks ago, Blatt first put out a memo on May 2 to county superintendents instructing them to go with state law and not the executive order. She was quickly asked by Governor Morrisey to rescind it.

She was both praised and criticized for that initial move as some considered it overreach and others said the executive order itself was overreach.

"The intent was definitely never to not work with the governor," Blatt said. "As we moved through that, we've had a lot of communications over the last few weeks - last couple of weeks - to discuss how we move forward and understand that they also are working with the legislature to see if they can also get resolution."

While it was on the agenda to discuss and possibly act on vaccine exemptions, West Virginia State Board of Education President Nancy White said action would be moved to the next meeting but did express support for Blatt's initial memo.

"The board supports the state superintendent’s attempt to follow compulsory vaccination law and direct her to continue to work with the governor and with our legislative liaison to find resolution to this issue, and we’ll reconsider this vaccination issue at our next meeting in June," White said during the meeting.

Blatt said at the time she put the memo out, she thought without legislative action and with confusion at school districts throughout the state that clear direction would be the best move.

“I think it was just a matter of since the legislature had not passed anything, right or wrong, my assumption was just we go back to that and move forward." Blatt said.

For now, the counties are being asked to honor those exemptions and the state department of health will continue to grant them. Blatt is hopeful this will give time to further work something out with the governor and legislature.

“To give us time, as the governor stated last week, for all to work together to try to get resolution between the legislature, the governor’s office and the Department of Human Services," Blatt said.

According to reporting from The Intelligencer, Ohio County Schools plans to work with an attorney to go over the executive order. Blatt said she wants to see how things progress before the state board takes any similar action.

"I think we'll see how things progress over the next month or so, and then of course our counties have their own legal counsel and their own communities that they'll work with to see what's best for their students," Blatt said.

The state board will meet again on June 11.