Thanks for the clarification, Bill. I thought religious exemptions had to cite the religious rule that forbids the activity. I’m not aware of any religions that specifically forbid vaccines.
I think residential colleges require vaccination records before students can begin classes. Even our local community colleges required them pre-pandemic. It makes sense that they would take a look at the immunization records of the students who are requesting an exemption from the Covid vaccine to see if they’ve had others. It doesn’t surprise me that colleges are denying religious exemptions. It does surprise me that parents didn’t expect the denial. I think the longer it takes to get a response from a college the more likely it is that the answer will be no.