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Synopsis As Introduced Amends the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education to publish on its Internet website the exemption from immunization data it receives from schools. Provide that parents or legal guardians who object to health, dental, or eye examinations or immunizations on religious grounds must present to the appropriate local school authority a Department of Public Health objection form, detailing the grounds for the objection and signed by the parent or legal guardian, as well as a religious official attesting to a bona fide religious objection whose signature must be notarized (instead of presenting a signed statement of objection detailing the grounds for the objection). Requires the Department of Public Health to develop and publish a uniform objection form for this particular use. Provides that if the physical condition of a child is such that any one or more of the immunizing agents should not be administered, the child's parent or legal guardian must present to the appropriate local school authority a statement signed by the child's regular examining physician, advanced practice nurse, or physician assistant attesting to that fact. Effective immediately.
Senate Committee Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the School Code. With respect to the Section requiring health examinations and immunizations, removes a provision concerning parents or legal guardians who object to the health, dental, or eye examinations or to immunizations on religious grounds. Provides instead that children of parents or legal guardians who object to health, dental, or eye examinations, or any part thereof, to immunizations, or to vision and hearing screening tests on religious grounds shall not be required to undergo the examinations, tests, or immunizations to which they so object if such parents or legal guardians present to the appropriate local school authority a signed Certificate of Religious Exemption, created by the Department of Public Health, detailing the grounds for objection and the specific immunizations, tests, or examinations to which they object. Provides that the grounds for objection must set forth the specific religious belief that conflicts with the examination, test, immunization, or other medical intervention. Specifies other requirements for the signed certificate, and requires parents or legal guardians to submit the certificate to their local school authority annually for each child for which they are requesting an exemption. Contains provisions concerning the religious objection. Requires the local school authority to inform the parent or legal guardian of exclusion procedures, in accordance with the Department's rules, at the time the objection is presented. Effective immediately.
Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Specifies that the health care provider's signature on the certificate reflects only that education was provided and does not allow a health care provider grounds to determine a religious exemption. Provides that those receiving immunizations shall be provided with the relevant vaccine information statements prior to administering a vaccine. Provides that a healthcare provider may consider including nationally accepted recommendations from federal agencies, the information outlined in the relevant vaccine information statement, and vaccine package inserts, along with the healthcare provider's clinical judgment, to determine whether any child may be more susceptible to experiencing an adverse vaccine reaction than the general population, and if so, the healthcare provider may exempt the child from an immunization or adopt an individualized immunization schedule. Requires parents or legal guardians to submit the certificate to their local school authority, prior to the dates of entering kindergarten, sixth grade, and ninth grade (instead of annually), for each child for which they are requesting an exemption.
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