exemption in chicago public schools? - Page 2

[listipton]

I too live in IL and although I haven't written my letter yet, I think It's going to go like this:

Dear Sir or Madam
ALL Vaccination is against my personal religious beliefs.
Sincerely...

I think the new wording is to try and scare off anyone who is 'bluffing' since IL does not offer philosophical exemptions. FWIW, You 'cannot' object to the ingredients of vaccines, only the process.

[TCMoulton]

Originally Posted by listipton

I too live in IL and although I haven't written my letter yet, I think It's going to go like this:

Dear Sir or Madam
ALL Vaccination is against my personal religious beliefs.
Sincerely...

I think the new wording is to try and scare off anyone who is 'bluffing' since IL does not offer philosophical exemptions. FWIW, You 'cannot' object to the ingredients of vaccines, only the process.

As mentioned above, the new law in Illinois does require that you detail each vaccine in your letter.

[skyblufig]

Originally Posted by sleeveless

Can anyone clarify exactly what is needed in an IL religious exemption letter?

Please, please give examples. The Illinois Vaccine Awareness Coalition website is out of date. It does not include the latest memo to school districts from the state health department.

I read the new memo from the state health department, and it says

"A religious objection must
set forth the specific religious belief which forbids the specific
examination, immunization or other medical intervention."

Does this mean I must detail my religious objection to MMR, Hib, Polio, Varicella, DTaP and Hep B individually?

I object to injecting impure substances into my child's perfect and pure body, created by God. Must I state the specific substance (monkey kidney cells and chicken egg cells and mercury and formaldehyde and aluminum, for starters) and then give my religious objection to it for each vaccine?

If I must do this, the letter is going to be pretty long, am I correct?

Where do I find out what substances exactly are in each vaccine??

Also, I object to TB tests, which inject toxins into my child's body. Must I include this in a vaccine letter? Or do I have to write a separate letter for TB?

Thanks very much for help, any and all of you. I have two weeks to pull this together, and my anxiety level rises each day. The schools in our district are getting more strict, as is the state. I think the Swine Flu scare is making them all crazy!!

Here's a link to current (as of 2009) requirements: http://www.nvic.org/Vaccine-Laws/sta.../illinois.aspx

Honestly, I think you may be stressing yourself out needlessly. I've never met anyone IRL who has used the religious exemption and had a problem. As far as detailing each vaccine, I believe what they're looking for is not a list of the ingredients, but rather a list of the vaccines themselves, so that as more are added to the requirements, you are then obligated to submit another letter. They give excellent, acceptable examples of letters over at IL Vax Awareness, such as:

"1st paragraph:
To whom it may concern:

As (a) parent \s, based on my\our personal religious beliefs,
I \we object to the following vaccination , including but not
limited to, DTaP\DTP, HepB, Hib,
MMR, Polio, Varicella, for my\our child___________________.

2nd paragraph
State your personal religious beliefs. The following words are acceptable to the Illinois Department of Public Health:
higher power
prayer
scripture
spiritual belief"

I hope that helps some! Goodness knows no one needs any added stress these days. Good luck.

[sleeveless]

I did write a letter following the guidelines you posted, Skyblufig.

I named the vaxes, but I didn't put in a specific objection to each vax. My objection is to the the entire process.

But, reading the memo, it is not clear to me whether I must state a religious objection to EACH vaccine separately.

Can anyone who has done in Illinois this clarify this? I want to follow the law exactly.

Oh, and I did name the substances in the vax (mercury, formaldehyde, viruses, monkey kidney cells, human cells, bovine cells, etc.) that I do not want injected into my child's body. One of the posters said not to do this, which I don't understand. If my religious objection is to injecting such substances into my child, isn't that the whole point? Should I take this sentence out of my letter? If so, why?

Thanks. --Sleeveless (Still stressed)

[Emmeline II]

Originally Posted by sleeveless

I did write a letter following the guidelines you posted, Skyblufig.

I named the vaxes, but I didn't put in a specific objection to each vax. My objection is to the the entire process.

But, reading the memo, it is not clear to me whether I must state a religious objection to EACH vaccine separately.

Your religious beliefs can change, so you can exempt a previously vaxed child. You could also pretend your child is not vaxed to make life easier.


Some states, like NY(contact Gary Krasner for help -- On the NYS form they request that your letter:

-explains why are you are requesting the exemption
-describes the religious principles that guide your objection to vaxes
-indicates whether you are opposed to all vaxes, and if not, why you are opposed to some vaxes but not others

As long as your letter covered those 3 points then they shouldn't ask for any "supporting evidence".)


and NJ allow the state to question the sincerity of your beliefs; the following is VERY important.



-For a religious exemption you need to be "against the practice of vaccination". If you give your reasons to be against vaccinations as:

"I'm against vaccination because they use aborted fetal cells" - This is a philosophical reason.

"I'm against pre-marital sex and some vaxes are for sexually transmitted diseases." This is a philosophical reason.

Again, you have to be against the the practice of vaccination. For a more through explanation of why this is read the Wexler decision below.

-Also, you DO NOT have to be a member of a religion doctrinally opposed to vaccination. You can be Wiccan, Lutheran, Catholic, Jewish, church of the flip flops, and still claim a religious exemption do to your personal religious beliefs against the practice of vaccination. Dr. Mercola does a good job of explaining this in my Religious Exemptions link below (you may have to register to read it).

-One more thing, you do not want to include specific biblical verses as your interpretation could be challenged. You need to describe your personal religious beliefs.


-Require that all questions regarding your exemption be in writing and give answers in writing. Do not give verbal responses.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Religious Exemptions

The Wexler Decision

To find out what exemptions are offered by your state (for school and such) check here:
http://www.nvic.org/Vaccine-Laws/sta...uirements.aspx
http://www.novaccine.com/law-exemptions/


All states except West Virginia and Mississippi offer religious and/or philosophical exemptions, and the supreme court ruled that you do not have to belong to a non-vaxing religion or have clergy sign your religious exemption. Exemptions can be submitted in lieu of vaccination records (I would do it this way).

State mandatory vaccination laws have their roots in the 1905 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Jacobsen v Massachusetts. A Swedish Lutheran pastor, Reverend Henning Jacobsen and his son objected to a law requiring revaccination with smallpox vaccine because they had suffered severe reactions to the first vaccination. The nine Supreme Court justices at the turn of the century denied Jacobsen and his lawyers the right to present scientific evidence for harm caused by the smallpox vaccine, preferring to believe the lawyers representing public health officials who convinced them that doctors could predict ahead of time who would be injured by vaccination.

100wds.



A US Federal Court ruling (binding on NY only) that determined that you do not have to belong to a particular religion to use a religious exemption is:
Sherr v. Northport-East Northport Union Free Sch. Dist., 672 F. Supp. 81, 89-90 (E.D. N.Y. 1987)
http://www.vaclib.org/exempt/consent.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/...es_chptr13.htm

Sample Religious Exemption Letter(change the state law reference):

Quote:
To whom it may concern;



(We / I) {First and Last name(s)}, as the {(parent (s) / guardian(s)} of ______________________(name of newborn child) are exercising (our/my) rights under the US Constitution, PUBLIC HEALTH LAW, ARTICLE 21. CONTROL OF ACUTE COMMUNICABLE DISEASES,TITLE VI. POLIOMYELITIS AND OTHER DISEASES, NY CLS Pub Health § 2164 (2002), to receive Religious Exemption from Vaccination, ALL injections, prophylaxis, & testing due to our genuine and sincere religious beliefs which are contrary to the practices herein required.

The U.S. Supreme Court held in Frazee V. Illinois Dept. of Security, 489 U.S. 829, that a religious belief is subject to protection even though no religious group espouses such beliefs or the fact that the religious group to which the individual professes to belong may not advocate or require such belief. This ruling is also reflected in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended Nov. 1, 1980; Part 1605.1-Guidelines on Discrimination Because of Religion.


Sincerely,

Your signature.
Date

[MyZoeJane]

Originally Posted by Emmeline II

-One more thing, you do not want to include specific biblical verses as your interpretation could be challenged. You need to describe your personal religious beliefs.

Actually, this is NOT true. They can NOT question a person's personal religious interpretation of the biblical text. This is what makes a "personal religious exemption" personal.

[Oonah]

Originally Posted by TCMoulton

As mentioned above, the new law in Illinois does require that you detail each vaccine in your letter.

I live in Illinois and enrolled K and preK students in public school this fall. I was not asked to list specific vaxes and I was not asked to give any explanation of my religous beliefs.

My letter went something like this...

"The vaccination of our children conflicts with our religious beliefs. We decline all vaccinations and other immunizing agents for <child A>, <child B>.

My advice....go generic and elaborate only when/if asked. Heck we didn't even submit the letter until they asked.

[Emmeline II]

Originally Posted by MyZoeJane

Actually, this is NOT true. They can NOT question a person's personal religious interpretation of the biblical text. This is what makes a "personal religious exemption" personal.

Clearly, you do not live in NYC; whose exemption process the post is based.

[MyZoeJane]

Originally Posted by Emmeline II

Clearly, you do not live in NYC; whose exemption process the post is based.

Whoops, I must be confused. I thought this thread was about exemptions in Chicago Public Schools?

My attorney (here in IL) explained to me that my interpretation of a biblical passage could not be scrutinized. He also told me that I should use the same specific language that is outlined in the state law when drafting my "personal religious exemption."

In my letter, I use a passage from the Bible in which God warns us against "mixing the seed" between animals and humans. This, I interpreted to mean that God would not condone me injecting Monkey Kidney cells, fetal pig DNA, etc, into my body. Maybe someone else might interpret this as God telling us not to have sex witha sheep, but do I not have personal religious freedom to intpret it any way I choose?

I'd love to see a case in NYC where a person's religious exemption was denied based on the state not accepting their interpretation of a religious text. I had no idea that NY State had the power to say that there is only one "correct" interpretation of the Bible! If that's the case, then I sure am glad I left NY a few years after I was born!

[skyblufig]

Originally Posted by MyZoeJane

Whoops, I must be confused. I thought this thread was about exemptions in Chicago Public Schools?

It is about Chicago Public Schools.

[Fyrestorm]

Originally Posted by MyZoeJane

I'd love to see a case in NYC where a person's religious exemption was denied based on the state not accepting their interpretation of a religious text. I had no idea that NY State had the power to say that there is only one "correct" interpretation of the Bible! If that's the case, then I sure am glad I left NY a few years after I was born!

Be glad you left NY!

Just a few...

http://healthy-family.org/caryn/1214

http://goodlight.net/nyvic/law/filenbam.htm (scroll about 1/2 way down the page)

http://www.nyvic.org/nyvic/news/newyork/rochstr2.htm

[MyZoeJane]

Originally Posted by Fyrestorm

Be glad you left NY!

Just a few...

http://healthy-family.org/caryn/1214

http://goodlight.net/nyvic/law/filenbam.htm (scroll about 1/2 way down the page)

http://www.nyvic.org/nyvic/news/newyork/rochstr2.htm

I sincerely hope you wont take the following as confrontational, because I truly seek only to learn here...


My initial comment was in response to the statement that a religious exemption should not include specific religious passages because the interpretation could be deemed "incorrect" and the state could then refuse to accept the exemption.

My response was that IL State cannot question a specific interpretation of a Bible/Torah/Koran passage because IL (as well as NY) allows for personal religious exemption... meaning a person is free to interpret the passage in any way they see fit.

So, I fail to see how any of these links you provided show ANY case where NY State successfully denied a religious exemption based on the fact that a person's interpretation of a specific Bible passage was deemed "wrong"....

What was it I was supposed to be looking for in your links? (Other than some interesting reading, which they were, so thank you for providing them!)

[Fyrestorm]

Originally Posted by MyZoeJane

So, I fail to see how any of these links you provided show ANY case where NY State successfully denied a religious exemption based on the fact that a person's interpretation of a specific Bible passage was deemed "wrong"....

I gave you those links because you specifally stated:

Originally Posted by MyZoeJane

I'd love to see a case in NYC where a person's religious exemption was denied

So I gave you exactly what you asked for...cases in NY state. NY feel they have the right to decide if you are religious enough and if you have correctly interpreted the bible.

IMHO - if you have chosen a religious exemption, it is based on your interpretation...being denied is them telling you that you read it wrong.

[MyZoeJane]

Originally Posted by Fyrestorm

I gave you those links because you specifally stated:



So I gave you exactly what you asked for...cases in NY state. NY feel they have the right to decide if you are religious enough and if you have correctly interpreted the bible.

IMHO - if you have chosen a religious exemption, it is based on your interpretation...being denied is them telling you that you read it wrong.

Whoops, then it was my fault for not being more specific in each post. Though you did not quote ALL of my statement:

"I'd love to see a case in NYC where a person's religious exemption was denied based on the state not accepting their interpretation of a religious text."

I assumed there was more of a flow to my commentary. The sort of case I was asking for was one in which a person's personal religious exemption was denied because they put a specific passage from a religious text into their exemption letter and they were told their interpretation of it was "wrong" or "unacceptable."

I still stand by my assertion that a person's personal interpretation of a specific passage cannot be questioned. However, I am fully aware of the fact that there are cases where a person's religious sincerity has been drawn into question. (Though it still appears that in NY, those cases still seem to be ruled in favor of those seeking exemption.)

[Jugs]

^^Yep, in NY you *can* use supporting scripture, as long as you are prepared to have it picked apart for possible inconsistencies. For example, if one were to use the passage about "mixing seed," you may be questioned about whether you eat meat... or would accept an animal organ transplant or something, kwim? Its not about how you interprate the scriptures, but whether or not your sincerity is consistent.

[ChicagoMomof3]

Hello Ladies

I know this thread is very old and some of you may not still be around but I'm looking for any new updated info on this subject.  I'm sending my son to kindergarten this fall. I'm a little concerned because he is partially vaccinated and they will question why I gave some in the past (before I was enlightened) and dont want to give any now.   Does anyone have personal experience writing a religious exemption for CPS?  Were you questioned?  Any insight or advice would be greatly appreciated. 

Thank you!