BACK TO SCHOOL, NAVIGATING VACCINE CHOICES & HOLDING STATE AGENCIES ACCOUNTABLE

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:

It’s that time of year when parents receive school enrollment
packages that include reminders of state school vaccine requirements.
Many parents do not realize that most states offer exemptions for
medical, religious or philosophical reasons. NVIC’s state vaccine law web pages
are among our most highly visited web pages and our staff and
volunteers work hard to keep them up-to-date with the most current
vaccine and exemption information so that you understand your options.

For reliable facts helpful in evaluating vaccine and disease risks, our web pages on diseases and vaccines are an excellent resource for you as a parent, and for your college-bound young adult.

Updated School Vaccine Requirements and Exemption Information on NVIC.org

NVIC’s state web pages contain links to your state’s school, daycare
and higher education vaccine requirements and information on how to
obtain an exemption. Many parents use these pages to educate themselves
on what is required and how to obtain a vaccine exemption for their
children entering into public school.

The web pages also include vaccine related statutes, with links to
the actual law, for each state that allow you to see which vaccines are
legally required to help you decide whether to accept, delay or decline
one or more vaccines.

Many parents question the need for, and safety of, vaccines,1
and sharing NVIC’s well-referenced information with others encourages
educated vaccine decision-making. Information on NVIC’s website will
also help you understand the differences between state mandated school vaccine requirements and the federally recommended vaccine schedule.

Navigating College Vaccination Requirements

College bound students face pressure to receive vaccines for meningitis, HPV, and influenza, among others.2345
Because most parents are no longer legally responsible for making
medical decisions for their college age children, vaccination is often
the first medical risk-taking decision these young people will make.

College vaccination and exemption requirements usually comply with
the state’s vaccination and exemption laws for K-12, however, in some
states these policies are left to the individual colleges to create. In
addition, if a college student is going into a health or veterinary
profession that requires clinical practice during their course of study,
vaccinations are often required in order to complete coursework.

Don’t wait until enrolling into a college or university and/or health
care related program to ask what vaccines are required for entry.
Obtaining higher-ed vaccine requirements and exemption options in
advance of deciding which college to attend can prevent post enrollment
surprises. Parents can help their sons and daughters find accurate
information and resources regarding vaccines and their risks, diseases
and the frequency and severity of complications, and their child’s right
to make voluntary, informed decisions about vaccines. NVIC.org is such a
resource.

When considering different colleges, you can proactively ask the
admissions officer for the school’s vaccination policy in writing
(should be on the institution’s letterhead) and research the state’s
exemption laws on NVIC’s state pages.
Many prospective college students visit a number of college campuses
over the course of several months, so it is a good idea to get a
reconfirmation of the vaccine policy in writing prior to making final
college decisions to prevent any last-minute problems.

Prevent State Agencies from Abusing their Authority

As you and your college student make vaccine decisions, it is
important to not only understand your state’s vaccination laws but to
also support the protection and expansion of the human right to make
voluntary choices about vaccination.

NVIC has noted recent trends by state health departments to overstep
and abuse their legal authority by making vaccine exemptions more
difficult to obtain. This overreach of authority is often initiated by
health departments through a rule-making process.

We hope you will get involved in protecting vaccine choices by
becoming a registered user of the NVIC Advocacy Portal to support NVIC’s
efforts to prevent abuse of government authority. You can make public
comments during these rule-making proceedings, and send copies of your
comment to your legislators as a way of informing them about how these
regulatory changes affect you and your family. It is a way of building a
relationship with your legislator and holding your state agencies
accountable.

Holding State Agencies Accountable: The Colorado Experience

Holding state agencies accountable by monitoring and participating in
the rule-making process is important, as was demonstrated in Colorado
earlier this year when the health department attempted to force parents
to use a state sponsored vaccine exemption form to circumvent federal
privacy protections for students.6

While many states have exemptions forms, Colorado state law doesn’t require a vaccine exemption form to be used.7
Colorado’s Department of Education and the Department of Public Health
and Environment (CDPHE) issued guidance to schools to require parents to
use an exemption form created by the health department, despite the
fact that state law clearly required only that parents submit a
statement of exemption to their schools (i.e. a hand written note). This
is a perfect example of state agency overreach.

The health department also tried to mislead parents into uploading
their exemptions directly to the health department for inclusion in the
state’s vaccine tracking system. They did not inform parents that
uploading information into the vaccine tracking system meant they
forfeited their child’s federal privacy rights and that this sensitive
health information could then be shared with third parties without
parental consent.

Linking vaccination records–and exemptions–to a state vaccine
tracking system, as is being attempted by Colorado, could easily become a
common tactic in other states. These actions pose a threat to your
child’s privacy and access to his or her sensitive health information.
Now is a good time to review what kind of tracking system your state has
in place and what your options are for protecting your child’s privacy.

In some states these tracking systems are also being used for
tracking adult vaccination status, as implemented in Alaska, where
participation is mandatory for both children and adults.

Working Together for Change

NVIC worked with Colorado legislators, like-minded groups and
citizens, and the health and education departments to correct this
overstepping of authority. NVIC also issued an action alert to Colorado
residents via NVIC’s advocacy portal and citizen action, coupled with
NVIC’s advocacy, pressured the health department to accept parent
statements.8 NVIC continues to work to push back against other abuses by the health department.

Colorado is not alone in its overreach. Other states are likely to
attempt similar strategies to force participation in tracking systems
and make vaccine exemptions harder to obtain, or eliminate exemptions
altogether. The state information pages on NVIC.org includes links to
each state’s vaccine tracking system that can assist you in learning
more about the type of registry your state uses and whether or not
participation is mandatory.

Additionally, many states provide a way for citizens to sign up state
registry notices on proposed rule-making and keep rule-making notices
posted on their websites. NVIC’s state web pages now contain a new link
to each state registry that allows you to learn more about proposed
rule-making in your state and opportunities to receive rule-making
notices.

Build Legislative Relationships Now When Your State’s Legislature is Not in Session

June through December is a good time to start building relationships
with your state legislators. In many states the legislative session is
over and legislators spend more time in their local offices and have
more time to listen to your concerns.

When you make an appointment to talk with your state legislators,
help them understand why the ability to exercise informed consent to
vaccination with flexible medical, religious and conscientious belief
vaccine exemptions is important. If your state agencies are exceeding
their statutory authority by creating rules that are not legally
required, tell your legislators about it and, again, don’t forget to
copy your legislator and legislative health committees on correspondence
you send to state agencies. One-on-one advocacy at the grassroots level
is the most effective way to counter the abusive tactics by government
officials exceeding legislative authority related to vaccine tracking
systems and vaccine exemptions.

Registering to use NVIC’s free online Advocacy Portal provides you
with direct contact information for your legislator’s email, fax or
phone, as well as their Facebook and Twitter accounts. Using the
Advocacy Portal and logging in often is a proactive step you can take to
protect your rights and privacy by keeping up to date on vaccine
related legislation introduced in your state.

Updated Guide to Reforming Vaccine Policy & Law Now Online

NVIC also just published online the revised and fully referenced and illustrated Guide to Reforming Vaccine Policy & Law.
Authored by NVIC co-founder and president Barbara Loe Fisher, the guide
provides a short but comprehensive overview of the vaccine safety and
informed consent issue, including the history, science, policy, law and
ethics of mandatory vaccination laws in the U.S. The guide is anchored
with over 240 live linked references and you can use it as a “go to”
resource when you have conversations about vaccination and protecting
vaccine exemptions with elected officials like school board members,
state senators and representatives, family, and friends. (The guide will
also be available in print form in the fall).

Use NVIC’s website and the Guide to Reforming Vaccine Policy & Law
to educate others in your community about vaccine risks, diseases, your
state’s vaccine laws and exemptions, and to build relationships with
your elected officials. These steps will help protect your rights and
push back on state agency abuse of authority.

Working together, we can make informed consent to vaccination a reality we can pass on to our children and grandchildren.