Immunizations & Exemptions

In order to safeguard the school community from the spread of certain communicable diseases and in recognition that prevention is a means of combating the spread of disease, the board requires a student to present evidence of his/her having been immunized against diseases as required by the State Board of Health.

The district shall allow for exemptions from immunization requirements only as allowed for by RCW 28A.210.090.

Any and all exemptions will be processed and recoded on a Certificate of Exemption as distributed by the Washington Department of Health. Exemptions from one or more vaccines will be granted for medical reason upon certification by a physician that there is a medical reason for not administering the vaccine.

Exemptions for personal or religious reasons will be granted upon request of the parent or legal guardian. To request an exemption, a parent or guardian must submit a signed Certificate of Exemption that the parent/guardian has a philosophical, personal, or religious objection to the immunization of the child. Forms must include a statement to be signed by a health care practitioner stating that he or she provided the parent/guardian with information about the benefits and risks of immunization. The form may be signed by a health care practitioner at any time prior to the enrollment of the child in a school or licensed day care. Photocopies of the signed form or a letter from the health care practitioner will be accepted in lieu of the original form.

Any parent or legal guardian of the child who exempts the child due to religious beliefs is not required to have a Certificate of Exemption signed by a health care practitioner if the parent or legal guardian demonstrates on the Certificate of Exemption membership in a religious body or a church in which the religious beliefs or teachings of the church preclude a health care practitioner from providing medical treatment to the child.

The permanent file of students with exemptions will be marked for easy identification should the local department of health order that exempted students be excluded from school temporarily during an outbreak or an epidemic.

If a certificate of exemption is not received upon the student’s enrollment in school, the principal will provide written notice to the parents or guardians informing them of:

A. The immunization requirements;
B. The potential denial of the student’s attendance;
C. The procedural due process rights; and
D. The immunization services available.

The district will provide parents and guardians of students in sixth grade and above with information about meningococcal disease at the beginning of every school year. The information will address the characteristics of the disease; where to find additional information about the disease; vaccinations for children; and current recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding receiving the vaccine.

At the beginning of every school year, the district will provide parents and guardians of sixth through twelfth grade students with information, provided by the state Department of Health about human papillomavirus disease and its vaccine.

The information will include the causes and symptoms of human papillomavirus, how the disease is spread, the places where parents and guardians may obtain additional information and vaccinations for their children and current recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control Prevention regarding the vaccine.

Prior to attendance at school, each child with a life-threatening health condition will present a medication or treatment order addressing the condition. A life threatening health condition means a condition that will put the child in danger of death during the school day if a medication or treatment order providing authority to a registered nurse and nursing plan are not in place. Following submission of the medication or treatment order, a nursing plan will be developed.

Students who have a life-threatening health condition and no medication or treatment order presented to the school will be excluded from school, to the extent that the district can do so consistent with federal requirements for students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and according to the following due process requirements:

A. Written notice to the parents, guardians or persons in loco parentis delivered to the parents in person or by certified mail.

A. Notice of the applicable laws, including a copy of the laws and rules.

B. The order that the student will be excluded from school immediately and until a medication or treatment order is presented.

C. Explain the rights of the parents and student to a hearing, the hearing process and that the exclusion continues until the medication or treatment plan is presented or the hearing officer determines that the student should no longer be excluded from school.

D. If the parents request a hearing, the district will schedule one within three school days of receiving the request, unless more time is requested by the parents.

E. The hearing process will be consistent with the procedures established for disciplinary cases pursuant to Chapter 392-400 WAC.

Immediately upon enrollment in the district a certificate of immunization status, distributed by the Washington Department of Health, will be completed by the student’s parent or legal guardian. The certificate will be made a part of the student’s permanent record.

If, by the student’s first day of enrollment, a student does not have documentation for receipt of any or all of the required immunizations, he/she will submit evidence of the initiation of an immunization schedule and will be placed in a “conditional admittance” status. Students may attend under conditional admittance status for a limited time. The parent or guardian must provide, within thirty (30) days of the student’s first day of attendance, any missing immunization(s) or provide documentation needed to complete the certificate of immunization. If a student needs additional doses to complete a vaccine series, s/he will remain in conditional admittance status for a maximum of thirty (30) days after the next dose is due until the series is complete. Failure to submit documentation within these timelines will be sufficient cause to exclude the student from school.

Following proper notification, the school will exclude the student for noncompliance with the immunization laws pursuant to the appeal process procedures for student expulsions. Parents will have a right to a hearing, provided they notify the school within three days after receiving the exclusion order from the school principal. If the parent requests a hearing, the parent or guardian and school principal will be notified in writing of the time and place for the hearing and will present the case to a hearing officer appointed by the superintendent.