Do you have to be vaccinated to go to school?

Do your parents oppose you being vaccinated for personal or religious reasons? Too bad says California governor Jerry Brown. California has become the largest state to legally require all school children to be vaccinated unless there are medical reasons not to vaccinate. But exemptions from the immunization requirement for personal and/or religious reasons will no longer be allowed in this state. The new law goes into effect July 1, 2016.

Vaccination laws & exemptions for school children across the states

Each state has its own laws concerning immunization requirements for school children. Many of these laws apply to students at public schools as well as private schools. All states have exemptions for students with medical issues and concerns that prohibit them from being vaccinated such as cancer, immune disorders or allergies to vaccine components.

Many states also have exemptions for religious or other personal/philosophical reasons. Exemptions for religious beliefs are legally provided by almost every state allowing students to bypass the vaccine requirement with some form of informed consent signed by a parent or guardian. At this time, only three states – California, Mississippi and West Virginia have no exemption for religious beliefs in their state vaccine laws (according to the National Vaccine Information Center). Only 17 states allow philosophical or personal belief exemptions.

For more information about the vaccine laws and exemptions in your state, check out the National Vaccine Information Center and click on your state.

Photo by Kevin Dooley