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Immunizations for PreK - 12th grade 

The immunization requirements are set by  and provided by the . 

The Texas Department of Health has ruled that students must be current with immunizations in order to attend school unless an exemption has been filed with the school in accordance with . 

A student must have acceptable evidence of vaccination prior to entry, attendance, or transfer to a child-care facility or public or private elementary or secondary school in Texas.

Since many types of personal immunization records are in use, any document will be acceptable provided a physician or public health personnel has validated it. 

Validation includes the child’s name, child’s date of birth, Physician’s signature, initials, or stamp.

Acceptable forms of validation include:

• An immunization record generated from an electronic health record must include clinic contact information and the provider’s signature/stamp, along with the vaccine name and vaccination date (month, day, and year). 

• An official record generated from a health authority
• An official record received from school officials, including a record from another state 

All immunizations must be completed by the first date of attendance. The law requires that students be fully vaccinated against the specified diseases. 

Provisional enrollment allows a student meeting certain specific criteria to be admitted to school on a temporary basis for up to 30 days. 

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 vaccine required by this rule. A student must not be overdue for the next dose in a series to be considered provisional. 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.

A school nurse or school administrator shall review the immunization status of a provisionally enrolled student every 30 days to ensure continued compliance in completing the required doses of vaccination. 

During this 30-day period, the parent is responsible for ensuring that the student receives the necessary vaccine(s) as fast as is medically feasible, and/or providing a complete and current immunization record to the school. Texas schools are also responsible for ensuring that immunization records are sent to requesting Texas schools within the 30-day period.

If, at the end of the 30-day period, a student has not received a subsequent dose of vaccine, the student is not in compliance and the school shall exclude the student from school attendance until the required dose is administered.

Additional guidelines for provisional enrollment of students can be found in the The TX DSHS Provisional Enrollment for Students Flowchart (pg. 2).

Provisional enrollment allows a student to enroll in school under the following situations:

1. Transfer Students

Students transferring from one Texas public or private school to another can be enrolled provisionally for no more than 30 days while awaiting the transfer of the immunization record.

For assistance with translation of immunization records, please contact ÁùºÏ±¦µä Public Health, Immunization Services at 512-972-5520. 

2. Homeless Students

Students who are defined as homeless according to the federal McKinney-Vento Act, 42 U.S.C. §11434a can be admitted provisionally for 30 days if acceptable evidence of vaccination is not available. The school shall promptly refer the student to appropriate public health programs to obtain the required vaccinations.

3. Students In-Progress

Students who have received at least one dose of each specified age-appropriate vaccine required by the DSHS rules. To remain enrolled, students must complete the required subsequent doses of each vaccine series on schedule and as rapidly as is medically feasible and provide acceptable evidence of vaccination to the school. A school nurse or school administrator 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, the student is not in compliance and the school shall exclude the student from school attendance until the required dose(s) is (are) administered.

4. Military Dependents

A dependent of a person who is on active duty with the armed forces of the United States can be enrolled provisionally for no more than 30 days if he/she transfers from one school to another and is awaiting the transfer of the immunization record. 

 and 

Can a child without an immunization record be enrolled provisionally if they are not homeless, are not transferring from a Texas school or are not progressing towards obtaining immunizations as fast as is medically feasible?

No. The child must obtain the first doses of the required vaccines and then they can be admitted provisionally as long as they are progressing towards receiving the remaining required vaccines as fast as is medically feasible.

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) considers vaccines to be very safe and encourages all Texans to be vaccinated according to the ACIP recommended schedule. 

Exemptions for Medical Reasons:

DSHS recognizes that there may be valid medical reasons for which they cannot receive certain vaccines. 

Texas law allows physicians to write medical exemption statements which clearly state a medical reason exists that a student cannot receive specific vaccines. Unless the exemption states a lifelong condition, the exemption is only valid for one year.

For students claiming medical exemptions, a written statement by a US- licensed MD or DO that clearly states a medical reason for which the student cannot receive specific vaccines, must be submitted to the school. Unless it is written in the statement that a lifelong condition exists, the exemption statement is valid for only one year from the date signed by the physician.

Exemptions for Reasons of Conscience:

Parents/guardians can choose an exemption from immunization requirements for reasons of conscience, including a religious belief. 

The law does not allow parents/guardians to elect an exemption simply because of inconvenience (for example, a record is lost or incomplete and it is too much trouble to go to a physician or clinic to correct the problem). Schools should maintain an up-to-date list of students with exemptions, so they may be excluded in times of emergency or epidemic declared by the commissioner of public health.
 

To claim an exclusion for reasons of conscience, including a religious belief, the child’s parent, legal guardian, or a student 18 years of age or older must present to the school or child-care facility a completed, signed and notarized affidavit in Texas on a form provided by the department stating that the child’s parent, legal guardian, or the student declines vaccinations for reasons of conscience, including because of the person’s religious beliefs.

The affidavit will be valid for a two-year period from the date of notarization. A child or student who has not received the required immunizations for reasons of conscience, including religious beliefs, may be excluded from school in times of emergency or epidemic declared by the commissioner of the department.

Please note the Notary needs to be registered to notarize in Texas on the approved Exemption Affidavit which is only valid for 2 years. After 2 years you will need to request for another Exemption Affidavit from the Texas Department of Health and complete the process again.

How to Obtain an Affidavit:

•  Texas DSHS staff continue to process conscientious exemption requests. Exemption requests are processed in the order they are received and it may take up to 3 weeks for requested affidavits to be mailed.
• • Send completed form by Mail:
    Texas Department of State Health Services
    Immunization Section, Mail Code 1946
    P.O. Box 149347
    ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Texas 78714-9347

• Send completed form by Fax: to 512-776-7544

Please turn in the completed original Exemption Affidavit to your child’s Nurse at their attending school.

The following is a list of resources for families who need vaccinations/health information:

Additional Resources

For the most up-to-date immunization resources, Call 2-1-1 or visit:.

Schools will accept Immunization records only if they have been validated by a physician to include the following:

• Child’s name
• Child’s date of birth
• Physician’s signature, initials, or stamp

An immunization record generated from an electronic health record must include clinic contact information and the provider’s signature/stamp, along with the vaccine name and vaccination date (month, day, and year). 

An official record issued from a public health or school office, including an official record from another state is acceptable.
 

• Complete the ÁùºÏ±¦µä Records Request Form for immunization records
• Contact your child’s health care provider
• Check for your child’s records online with the Texas Immunization Registry at:
  

My child had the shots you say he/she is missing. Didn’t the doctor’s office send it to you?
No. Your doctor’s office does not send your student’s health information to the school. When your child gets their vaccinations, please ask for a copy and bring it to your campus health room.

What can I do if I do not want my child getting the required vaccines?
You must apply for an affidavit from the . All forms are mailed to you. Affidavits must be notarized (including the parent signature and the vaccines exempt for your student) and turned in to the campus clinic. These affidavits expire every two years and can take 7-10 days to arrive. Please plan accordingly.

Can you check the state immunization registry (Immtrac) for my child’s records?
Parents must opt into the state immunization registry, which is done through your physician’s office. We do not input data into the state registry, so we cannot guarantee it has the most current information. Please continue to provide your individual student’s immunization records to the campus health room. 

My child has an appointment for their vaccinations on exclusion day or the day after exclusion day. Can they come to school until the appointment?
If you can provide proof of an appointment, please communicate with your student’s campus nurse for next steps.

Do you all notify parents when shots are due for our children?
Yes. We notify families via email, mail, telephone, and by sending letters with your student. Please make sure your home and email addresses, as well as phone numbers, are up to date in the school system. You can update those with the campus registrar.

For medical reasons, my child cannot receive the vaccines that are required. What should I do?
Talk with your physician. If your physician feels the vaccines are medically contradicted, then the physician can write a medical exemption. The medical exemption is valid for 1 year, unless the physician writes it as a lifelong exemption. The physician’s written exemption must be turned into the campus health room.

My child has practice before school. Can they attend practice and go home before school starts?
No. They cannot attend any school related functions, UIL events or ride the bus, starting the day of exclusion. This remains in effect until updated immunization information is delivered to the campus health room.