Co-Sponsorship Memo Details

In the near future I will be introducing legislation (Former HB 2037) to address a problem that became apparent over the last few years when notices regarding vaccinations for school attendance were publicly distributed without any mention that religious or medical exemptions could be obtained. Many news outlets repeated these notices exactly as distributed, and by omitting any mention of exemptions, effectively stated or implied that there was no alternative but to be up to date on all vaccinations or submit a medical provider's plan to get children up to date.
 
This has resulted in unnecessary public confusion. A constituent activist received numerous contacts from parents, who already had religious or other exemptions, believing their exemptions were eliminated, and attempted to set the record straight via a flurry of interviews and letters to newspapers. Our offices received calls from confused parents as well.
 
These notices from school districts and the Department of Health on numerous occasions found their way into legislative twitter feeds, social media, and other legislative updates, in most cases omitting the alternative provided within the School Code for obtaining a religious or medical exemption.
 
My legislation would require the exemptions contained in the School Code to be disclosed whenever school districts or other government agencies announce vaccination requirements for school attendance.
 
Please join me in co-sponsoring this common sense legislation to provide full and complete disclosure of school attendance requirements to parents.
 
Previous co-sponsors: BENNINGHOFF, COX, SCHLEGEL CULVER, FEE, GILLEN, GROVE, HAHN, HELM, IRVIN, KAUFFMAN, KEEFER, M. K. KELLER, MARSHALL, MACKENZIE, METCALFE, MURT, ORTITAY, RAPP, ROTHMAN, RYAN, TOEPEL AND ZIMMERMAN
 

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