from Italy to Los Angeles without vacc

[Italian mom]

Hi, I am an Italian mom and I am moving to LOs Angeles for one year starting from September 2009. I have a 4-year-old son, who is not vaccinated. I am going to enroll him in a private pre-school and I have read on the web that I could sign an affidavit for the exemption from vaccinations for religious reasons or because we are against this practice. Could someone tell me if this affidavit really works and what would be the best thing to write on it? Could the school refuse to enroll my son or they have to accept the affidavit? No one in ITaly seems to know how to help me and I am becoming really anxious about this topic. I do not want to have him vaccinated but I really need to have him in school because my husband and I will be both working in LOs Angeles.
Cpuld you hel me?
thanks a lot
B

[FernG]

California has a great vaccine exemption law - it's very easy to get exemptions. I don't have time right now, but I will look around online to find the religious exemption form for you. Just know 2 things...

1) Many school staff members (teachers, principals, nurses, secretaries, etc.) do not know that the law allows exemptions. They may give you incorrect information. They may believe that the law requires vaccines. This is a common misconception and is absolutely untrue. School staff and/or doctors may tell you that the law requires you to vaccinate, but they are wrong. Don't let them pressure you into anything.

2) In the U.S.A. the courts have decided that the only "religious" reason for not vaccinating is to be "religiously opposed to the process of vaccination." You cannot mention anything about opposing vaccines for STDs or using medication cultured in clones fetal tissue or animal tissue - those are all "philosophical" reasons and will make it harder to get religious exemptions. California also allows "philisophical" excemptions, but many states do not, so I would stick with "religious" exemptions just in case you move or in case the California law becomes more restrictive. Just keep repeating, "I'm religiously opposed to the process of vaccination" and you will be fine.

[FernG]

Okay, I just googled the CA law.... It says that the school has an immunization card for you to take to your doctor to fill in the vaccinations. On the back of that card, there is a place for you to check that you are religiously opposed to the process of vaccination. It appears that you won't need to do anything ahead of time. Just get the normal immunization card from the school, and fill out the back - the exemption side.

[Italian mom]

thanks a lot, I hope it works!

[EVC]

We're in California and have an exemption for dd's pre-school. It couldn't have been easier. As others have said, you just sign the back of the vax card. That' it.

The only potential problem is that you mentioned a PRIVATE pre-schoo. If the pre-school is really 100% private, they are NOT obligated to accept your exemption. Only a pre-school that accepts at least SOME public (state, government) funding is required to accept the exemption.

Even if you do use a private pre-school, it is certainly worth trying an exemption. There's a good chance that everything will be fine. Just be prepared that it IS possible for it to be rejected. If you're private, you can basically make your own rules about this.

[EVC]

California also allows "philisophical" excemptions, but many states do not, so I would stick with "religious" exemptions just in case you move or in case the California law becomes more restrictive. Just keep repeating, "I'm religiously opposed to the process of vaccination" and you will be fine.

In CA, they are actually grouped together. On the bottom of the back side of the form, there is one place for a medical exemption and then a place for BOTH religious and philosophical. It says something VERY general like "Due to religious or personal beliefs I object to some or all of the above vaccinations." You are not asked to provide any explanation whatsoever (and you can partially vax, if you so choose). So it is VERY vague and could encompass a whole range of reasons for not vaxing. None of which you are required to explain.