I.    PURPOSE

The School Board is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment. The purpose of this policy is to ensure that parents and students are aware of the State of Minnesota’s requirement for immunizations and that all students receive the proper immunizations as mandated by law.

II.    GENERAL STATEMENT OF POLICY

All students are required to provide proof of immunization, or appropriate documentation exempting the student from such immunization, and such other data necessary to ensure that the student is free from any communicable diseases, as a condition of enrollment.

III.    DEFINITIONS

For the purpose of this policy the following terms have the meaning given to them in this section:

1. “Immunization” means the process by which a person becomes protected against a disease. This term is often used interchangeably with vaccination or inoculation.
    
2. “Emancipated minor” means that a child has reached the age of 18, or a child has been granted the status of adulthood by a court order or other formal arrangement.
    
3. “Agencies providing service” means public agencies such as school districts, colleges, universities, and private agencies such as medical clinics and doctors offices.

IV.    STUDENT IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS

1. No student may be enrolled or remain enrolled, on a full-time, part-time, or shared-time basis in any elementary or secondary school within the District until the student or the student’s parent or guardian has submitted to the Coordinator of School Health Services, or designated school health services personnel, the required proof of immunization. Prior to the student’s first date of attendance, the student or the student’s parent or guardian shall provide to the Coordinator of School Health Services, or designated school health services personnel, one of the following statements:
    
   1. A statement from a physician or a public clinic which provides immunizations, stating that the student received the immunizations required by law, consistent with medically acceptable standards; or
       
   2. A statement, from a physician or a public clinic which provides immunizations, stating that the student received the primary schedule of immunizations required by law and has commenced a schedule of the remaining required immunizations, indicating the month, date and year each immunization was administered, consistent with medically acceptable standards.
       
   3. A signed statement from a parent or guardian of a student or an emancipated student with immunization information transferred from records maintained by the parent, guardian or emancipated student that indicates the month, date and year that each immunization was administered. Upon request, the Coordinator of School Health Services, or designated school health services personnel, will provide information to the parent or guardian of a student or an emancipated student of the dosages required for each vaccine according to the age of the student.
       
2. The parent or guardian of persons receiving instruction in a home school shall submit one of the statements set forth in Section III.A, above, or statement of immunization set forth in Section IV, below, to the Superintendent of the School District by October 1 of each school year.
    
3. The District may allow a student transferring into a school a maximum of 30 days to submit a statement specified in Section III.A., above, or Section IV., below. Students who do not provide the appropriate required documentation shall be excluded from school until such time as the appropriate proof of immunizations or exemption documentation has been provided.

V.    EXEMPTIONS FROM IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS

Students will be exempt from the immunization requirements under the following circumstances:

1. The parent or guardian of a minor student or an emancipated student submits a physician’s signed statement stating that the immunization of the student is contraindicated for medical reasons or that laboratory confirmation of the presences of adequate immunity exists; or
    
2. The parent or guardian of a minor student or an emancipated student submits his or her notarized statement stating the student has not been immunized because of the conscientiously held beliefs of the parent, guardian or student.

VI.    NOTICE OF IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS

1. The District will develop and implement a procedure to:
    
   1. Notify parents and students of the immunization requirements and the consequences for failure to provide the required documentation;
       
   2. Review student health records to determine whether the required information has been provided; and
       
   3. Make reasonable arrangements to send a student home when the immunization requirements have not been met and advise the student and/or the student’s parent or guardian of the conditions for re-enrollment.
       
2. The notice shall contain written information describing the exemptions from immunization as permitted by law. The notice shall be in a font size at least equal to the font size and style as the immunization requirements and on the same page as the immunization requirements.

VII.    IMMUNIZATION RECORDS

1. The District will maintain a file containing the immunization records for each student in attendance at the School District for at least five years after the student reaches the age of majority.
    
2. Upon request, the District may exchange immunization data with agencies providing services on behalf of the student. Immunization data is private student data and disclosure of such data shall be governed by Policy 515, Section 8, Protection and Privacy of Pupil Records.
    
3. Upon request, the Coordinator of School Health Services, or designated school health services personnel, will assist a student and/or the student’s parent or guardian in the transfer of the student’s immunization file to the student’s new school within 30 days of the student’s transfer.
    
4. Upon request of a public or private post-secondary educational institution, the Coordinator of School Health Services, or designated school health services personnel, will assist in the transfer of the student’s immunization file to the post-secondary education institution.

VIII.    OTHER

1. Within 60 days of the commencement of each new school term, the District will forward a report to the Commissioner of the Department of Education stating the number of students attending each school within the District, including the number of students receiving instruction in a home school, the number of students who have not been immunized, and the number of students who received an exemption.