Important info about religious vaccine exemptions
On June 13, 2019, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed legislation removing non-medical exemptions from school vaccination requirements for children. This means that there is no longer a religious exemption allowed for children who attend a public, private or parochial school, or day care and all students must be vaccinated.
We want families to be aware of the rapidly approaching deadlines involved in this new legislation that impact our student’s ability to attend and remain in school.
Students set to attend summer programming such as BOCES 2 Extended School Year Services, the district Summer Literacy Program, or Regional Summer School, must receive the first age-appropriate dose in each immunization series by June 28, 2019 to attend or remain in school. The district must receive documentation no later than June 28, 2019 showing the student has received the first dose in each required immunization series.
Further, by July 14, 2019, students must provide the district with written documentations that they have made appointments for all follow-up doses. Failure to comply with these requirements will result in students being excluded from attending school. The deadline for follow-up doses depends on the vaccine.
For students not attending a summer program, the deadline to obtain the first dose vaccinations for children attending school in the fall is 14 days from the first day of school. Within 30 days of the first day of school, students must provide documentation showing they have made follow-up appointments for all required follow-up doses.
Attached you will find the letter we are sending home to families, the FAQ document created by the Department of Health, Office of Children and Family Services and the State Education Department and a link to Table 2 which outlines a catch up immunization schedule.
Please contact your school administrator or nurse with any questions.