Can They Really FORCE You To Do This???
New California Law Mandates Whooping Cough Vaccinations for Grades 7 – 12
Recently there is a ton of publicity about 7th. through 12th. graders having to get the Tdap vaccine before they can enroll in public or private school this coming school year. Signs and banners are everywhere, school publications are arriving, and it’s even in newspaper ads. We actually saw it in the grocery store sales circulars! Apparently, some officials have come to the conclusion that children who received the whooping cough immunizations before age 5 are not sufficiently protected, so now they have mandated that all students in middle and high school receive the vaccine again. Yep, this is one of the last things that Gov. Schwarzenegger did before leaving office.
Well, don’t panic! All of you, and there are quite a few, who have decided NOT to immunize your children, you are still able to file a legal exemption to the requirement by exercising your rights. Exemption to immunization in the state of California is still permitted as follows:
Personal Beliefs Exemption A parent or guardian may have a child exempted from required immunizations if immunization is contrary to his/her beliefs. Schools have standardized procedures for parents and guardians who request a personal beliefs exemption.
Medical Exemption A licensed physician (MD or DO) who feels a vaccine is not indicated for a student because of medical reasons should submit to the school (via the patient’s family as needed) a written statement documenting the medical exemption. A form that can assist in this process is expected to be available shortly. The school will place a copy of the completed statement in the student’s file.
For those of you who would like to learn more about the various vaccines and the reported side effects, please check out the website www.nvic.org. We’re pretty sure you’ll find it an eye-opening experience.
