A student must be fully immunized against certain diseases or must present a certificate or statement that, for medical reasons or reasons of conscience, including a religious belief, the student will not be immunized. For exemptions based on reason of conscience, Responsive Education Solutions can honor only official forms issued by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Immunization Branch. This form may be obtained by writing the DSHS Immunization Branch (MC1946), P.O. Box 149347, Austin, TX 78714-93447, or online at https://www.dshs.texas.gov/immunize/default.shtm.
The form must be notarized and submitted to the school office within 90 days of notarization. If the parent is seeking an exemption for more than one student in the family, a separate form must be provided for each student. These forms expire after two years.
Each student shall be fully immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, rubeola (measles), mumps, rubella, and poliomyelitis (polio). Students in Kindergarten through Grade 12 shall have the following additional vaccines according to the immunization schedules set forth in DSHS regulations: pertussis, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and varicella (chickenpox). Students enrolling in Grade 7 through Grade 12 are required to have one dose of meningococcal (MCV4) vaccine on or after the student’s 11th birthday. In accordance with state laws and regulations, additional vaccines may be required by DSHS and/or local health authorities in specific situations pursuant to a control order containing control measures.
The immunizations required are: diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis; measles, mumps, and rubella; polio; hepatitis A; hepatitis B; varicella (chickenpox); and meningococcal (MCV4). The school staff can provide information on age-appropriate doses or an acceptable physician-validated history of illness required by the DSHS. Proof of immunization may be established by personal records from a licensed physician or public health clinic with a signature or rubber-stamp validation.
If a student is not immunized for medical reasons, the student or parent must present a certificate signed by a U.S. licensed physician stating that in the doctor’s opinion, the immunization required poses a significant risk to the health and well-being of the student or a member of the student’s family or household. This certificate must be renewed yearly unless the physician specifies a life-long condition.
Provisional Enrollment
A student can be enrolled provisionally for no more than 30 days from the first day of attendance if he/she:
- is transferring from a Texas school to a Texas school and is awaiting the transfer of the immunization record; or
- is a dependent of a parent who is Active Duty Military with a valid ID card and is awaiting the transfer of the immunization record.
A student who is homeless, as defined in the McKinney Vento Homeless Assistance Act or a student who is a child in foster care shall be enrolled temporarily for 30 days if acceptable evidence of vaccination is not available. The school shall promptly refer the student to an appropriate health provider to obtain the required vaccinations.
Should on day 30 of the provisional enrollment an up- to-date compliant immunization record is not received, then the student will be excluded from school and marked absent until the record is provided.
A student may be enrolled provisionally if the student has an immunization record that indicates the student has received at least one dose of each specified age- appropriate required vaccine. To remain enrolled, the student must complete the required subsequent doses in each vaccine series on schedule and as rapidly as is medically feasible and provide acceptable evidence of vaccination to the school. The school shall review the immunization status of a provisionally enrolled student every 30 days to ensure continued compliance in completing the required doses of vaccination. If, at the end of the 30-day period, a student has not received a subsequent dose of vaccine, then the student is not in compliance and the school shall exclude the student from school attendance until the required dose is administered.
Immunization Records Reporting
The school’s record of a student’s immunization history, while private in most instances, may be inspected by the Texas Education Agency, local health departments, and the Texas Department of State Health Services and transferred to other schools associated with the transfer of the student to those schools.