Changes to School and Child Care Immunization Exemptions

On May 10, 2011, Governor Gregoire signed a bill that requires a licensed health care provider to sign the Certificate of Exemption for a parent or guardian to exempt their child from school and child care immunization requirements. The signature verifies that the provider gave the parent or guardian information about the benefits and risks of immunization. A parent or guardian can also turn in a signed letter from a health care provider stating the same information.

The law took effect on July 22, 2011. It only applies to exemptions requested after this date. A health care provider doesn't need to sign the form for parents or guardians who demonstrate membership in a church or religious group that does not allow a health care provider to provide medical treatment to a child.

• Create the Birthplan. Or modify one of our ours to fit your state laws and any other personal circumstances. (see below)


• Sign the birthplan in front of a Notary.


• Submit the birth plan to your hospital or midwife. Keep a couple extra copies in case plans change.


• Make sure affected parties (doctors, nurses, etc) understand your requirements and wishes.
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• Plan on having one or two trusted persons stay with the mother and child to watch the child at all times while in the hospital, so no unwanted injections are given the baby.


• The birth plan arrangements and letter should be turned in before delivery date.


• The "Refusal to Permit Medical Treatment" form below is optional.

The birth plan arrangements and letter should be turned in before delivery date.
This "Refusal to Permit Medical Treatment" form below is optional.

"The injectable form of vitamin K can rarely cause severe (sometimes fatal) allergic reactions when given by injection into a muscle or vein. Therefore, vitamin K should be injected into a muscle or vein only when it cannot be given by injection under the skin or taken by mouth, or when your doctor has judged that the benefit is greater than the risk. Seek immediate medical attention if you experience symptoms of an allergic reaction such as rash, itching, swelling, dizziness, or trouble breathing."

According to law (Chapter 70.83 RCW – PHENYLKETONURIA AND OTHER PREVENTABLE HERITABLE DISORDERS), a newborn screening specimen should not be obtained on any newborn infant "whose parents or guardians object thereto on the grounds that such tests conflict with their religious tenets and practices". If parents do refuse, it is the responsibility of the health care facility to obtain the signature from the parent(s) on the reverse side of the screening card to document the refusal. The provider must make certain that the parent(s) understand the risks of refusing the screening. As with collected specimens, the demographic information should be completed and the signed card forwarded to the Newborn Screening Program within 24 hours. The refusal should be noted in the infant's medical record.

It is important to note that religious reasons are the only valid basis for refusal. Newborn screening statistics indicate that the majority of infants whose parents signed a refusal in the hospital were later tested, indicating that the initial refusal was not truly based on religious principles. Affected infants could have a delayed diagnosis for several days or possibly weeks, thus placing them at significant risk of permanent damage or possibly death. The risk of refusal should be made clear to parents and refusals should not be accepted for any other reason.

WARNING!

Dear VacLib Members and Friends -

Wanted to give you all a heads up on state issued exemption forms. I haven't had to deal with this personally for several years, and I always crossed out sentences or clauses, and often adding some of my own, before signing their exemption of medical release type of forms. When Donna Carrillo began to diligently search out existing exemption forms and posting them, I read over a couple of them and encouraged people to make up their own whenever possible. After having a "closer encounter" with such a form - a form provided to the state of Idaho by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and used by licensed Idaho daycares, I was shocked into the VERY REAL danger of signing these forms without changing them significantly.

Any form one affixes their initials to, dates and affixes their signature to at the end is a LEGAL document. All statements prior to your signature you must agree to fully OR restrict your signature to say that you are signing under TDC - threat, duress, and coercion. The form that my daughter was told she needed to fill out for this daycare is posted here: ChildCareExemptForm.pdf. On this form, she crossed out all the "nots" and in her personal statement she further clarified that she understands fully the risks of vaccinating her child.

I have since found out that most public schools and daycares in other states also use a similar form. Basically, by initialing and signing this form as is, you are admitting to understanding that "vaccine preventable" diseases are extremely deadly and ALSO admitting to negligence for willfully denying your son/daughter the life saving protection that vaccines offer. These forms are MEANT to not only be intimidating but to catch the legally ignorant off guard. This is very serious to me since all states have adopted the federally funded Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act which gives states the right to literally steal your children for up to 48 hours -- the time they have to prove child neglect OR abuse.

If it were ME, I would insist that they accept a form that I provide them since it satisfies the law. If there are any problems or they insist on me using their form, I would cite the law and ask the school or daycare provider where it actually says in state statute that this particular form is the only form that will satisfy the law. Since your parental rights are at stake here, it is best to be vigilant and err on the side of being overly cautious.

See:   AnaiRhoads.org Why Signing a Waiver to Avoid Vaccines Can Be Considered Abuse
She is referring to the Refusal To Vaccinate Form developed by The American Academy of Pediatrics, not a regular religious or conscientious exemption letter or form.

"Finally, be aware that participation in the employer's skin testing program is voluntary on the part of the employee. OSHA does not require that employees participate in TB skin testing, only that the employer make such skin testing available to employees."

"Finally, be aware that participation in the employer's skin testing program is voluntary on the part of the employee. OSHA does not require that employees participate in TB skin testing, only that the employer make such skin testing available to employees."