Judge puts Pickens teen’s vaccination case on hold
MORGANTOWN (AP) — The case of high school senior kept out of the classroom for refusing to get mandatory immunizations is on hold while a similar case plays out elsewhere in the state.
Randolph County Circuit Court Judge Jaymie Godwin Wilfong ruled Friday that Olivia Hudok’s complaint will be addressed after a similar case is resolved in Kanawha County.
Wilfong allowed the state Department of Health and Human Resources to formally intervene in Hudok’s case.
She also granted a preliminary injunction requiring the county to provide homebound instruction. Superintendent James Phares says Hudok’s father, Phil, a retired teacher, is currently providing her education.
Olivia Hudok is one of only three seniors at the Pickens School, West Virginia’s smallest public school. It’s a combined elementary and high school with just 37 students this year.
