Vaccine Requirement Questions
Updated September 2019.
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SB 277 (Pan and Allen, 2015), which we opposed, eliminated the personal beliefs exemption to required vaccinations. On the positive side, private homeschoolers are protected from the effects of this bill. We worked with the authors in drafting amendment language that was added to SB 277, which excludes all pupils enrolled in home-based private schools from the vaccination requirements. This exclusion language remained in the final version of the bill that the Governor signed on June 30th, 2015. The amendment language was intentionally worded to ensure that students enrolled in private PSPs are also excluded from the vaccination requirements.
Even though vaccines are not required for children enrolled in a home-based private school (including PSPs), an Immunization Record (form CDPH 286) should be kept on file with each student’s school records. This applies to all home-based private school students ages 6-18. The student’s name should be filled in as well as any vaccinations the child has received, regardless of how many or how few (including none).
HSLDA recommends that if the child fits the above category, you write the following statement, “Home Based Private School Per SB 277” at the top of the Immunization Record – Form CDPH 286 (AKA Blue Card), if using a Blue Card older than the 2019 version.
The Blue Card was updated in 2019 to reflect the changes made by SB 277 (Pan and Allen, 2015). On this form you may indicate that your home-based private school student is enrolled in a home-based private school using a checkbox: under “Status of Requirements,” in “Other,” you may check the box “Home” to indicate that the pupil is enrolled in a home-based private school.
We at FPM are not attorneys, and we are not giving out legal advice. Our organization focuses solely on the legislative aspect of protecting private home education.
If you have further specific questions regarding this or any other legal issue, please contact HSLDA, whose staff is available to answer legal questions for their members.
For more information, read HSLDA’s “California Immunization Laws, Record Keeping, and Reporting Requirements” published on July 16th, 2020.
Home School Legal Defense Association
www.hslda.org
(540) 338-5600
(This page is not intended to be, nor does it constitute the giving of legal advice.)