Outrage after Texas pastor brags online about his school having the state’s lowest measles vaccination rate: ‘We celebrate it’

Instagram users person immoderate harsh words for a Texas pastor who is celebrating his Christian church’s backstage schoolhouse having the state’s lowest vaccination complaint for measles amid a deadly outbreak of the highly contagious virus.

Mercy Culture Church Lead Pastor Landon Schott posted a video to the level connected Wednesday to commend the K-12 preparatory school.

“I conscionable privation to congratulate each the household members of MC Prep that clasp state of health, and they’re not allowing authorities oregon subject projects to impact however you unrecorded and pb your life,” Schott told his much than 47,000 Instagram followers.

“I cognize the full satellite was unopen down with insanity and radical were fired from their jobs,” helium said, “for forced vaccinations.”

Schott’s remarks, which person been shared by aggregate quality outlets, person resulted successful disapproval from different societal media users.

“Absolutely nutty that you brag astir this, you are the uneducated that the medication loves to wounded truthful much,” idiosyncratic @sheeeshmayne said connected Instagram.

“That’s not thing to beryllium arrogant of. Wouldn’t God privation you to instrumentality each precaution to support your kids healthy? Just no, this isn’t the flex y’all deliberation it is!” exclaimed @helenheard.

“An UNVACCINATED kid died successful Texas February 26, 2025!” said @amberdwhitfieldaw. “Maybe spell sojourn the westbound Texas infirmary wherever the unvaccinated measles children are being treated. Mostly due to the fact that they can’t respire connected their own. You are genuinely a seed job.”

However, others, including the school, wrote comments of support.

“We emotion it! 👏 #1,” the schoolhouse said.

“I perfectly LOVE that we’re celebrating this,” Instagram idiosyncratic @deidrameckel wrote.

Only 14.3 percent of kindergarteners astatine the 300-student Fort Worth schoolhouse were vaccinated for measles for the 2023 to 2024 schoolhouse years, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram said. It is 1 of six facilities successful North Texas that person little than 50 percent of its kindergarten colonisation vaccinated, according to The Dallas Morning News.

Schott claimed that the quality had been trying to rotation the school’s debased vaccination complaint similar it was “some atrocious thing.”

He did not bring up the measles outbreak that’s presently ripping done West Texas. The viral illness has sickened much than 150 radical and killed an unvaccinated child. The outbreak has been tied to Gaines County’s “close-knit, undervaccinated” Mennonite community.

Since the archetypal outbreak, much cases person been reported successful neighboring New Mexico and different states astir the country.

Medical experts are urging residents to get vaccinated, and person opened mobile clinics.

“The lone effectual mode to forestall measles is the MMR vaccine,” said American Academy of Pediatrics Committee connected Infectious Diseases Chair Dr. Sean O’Leary.