Immunization Requirements:
Each student enrolling in a district school or preschool shall present an immunization record from any authorized private or public health care provider certifying that he/she has received immunization in accordance with state law. Students shall be excluded from school or exempted from immunization requirements only as allowed by law.
7th Grade Varicella and Tdap:
All students entering, advancing or transferring into 7th grade for the 2021-22 school year and beyond will need proof of an adolescent whooping cough booster immunization (called “Tdap”) and two doses of Varicella for school entry.
This school immunization law affects all students in public and private schools. If your child currently has a Personal Belief Exemption (PBE) on file, it will no longer be valid when entering the 7th grade. Your child must be completely immunized for all the required immunizations for this age group. See 'Parents’ Guide to Immunizations Required for School Entry above.
Medical Exemptions:
Starting January 1, 2021, (SB 276 and SB 714) new immunization medical exemptions can only be issued through the California Immunization Registry- Medical
Exemption (CAIR-ME) website by physicians licensed in California. Schools can only accept from parents new medical exemptions that are issued CAIR-ME.
A parent can create an account and log in to CAIR-ME to submit a request for a medical exemption. The parent takes the exemption request number to their child's physician who can log into CAIR-ME to issue the exemption. Once the exemption is issued, the physician prints the two-page form and provides a copy for the parent to give to their child's school.
Varicella Immunization requirement for TK/K-12 admission or for advancement into the 7th grade a school can no longer accept a 'history of chickenpox or had disease. This is not sufficient documentation to meet the school requirements. A medical exemption document may be used for a child who had chickenpox disease that was documented by a physician. This is done by the physician by having a titer drawn to verify the immunity. See medical exemption requirements above.
Personal Beliefs Exemption:
Starting January 1, 2016, parents or guardians of students in any school or child-care facility, whether public or private, will no longer be allowed to submit a personal beliefs exemption to a currently-required vaccine.
Personal Beliefs Exemptions (PBE) filed at a school before January 1, 2016 will remain valid until the student enrolls in the next grade span of 7th grade.