We can't enroll her...

[2lilsweetfoxes]

I went to enroll my daughter in school and the secretary took one look at her exemption paperwork and said that until the nurse looks at it and talks to me--oh, btw, she isn't here today--my child can't be enrolled in school.

My child is fully vaccinated for her age, but I could not find her shot record before we left and my son is only partially vaccinated, so I've got copies of the exemption form. We started questioning very recently, as within the last couple years.

[laohaire]

Can you go back tomorrow?

What state are you in?

What type of exemption did you claim?

[miriam]

That is B.S.

It seems like a kind of fake office protocol that someone set up to intimidate parents like you. I suggest that you bring a copy of the law with you and be prepared to read it out loud to everyone in the office.

Are you sure you want to send your children to this school? This is only the beginning.

[tanyalynn]

My SIL is a school nurse, and she's the one responsible for making sure vaccination/exemption paperwork is correct, so maybe the secretary just doesn't know what it is at all, but knows it's the nurse's job. I'd try to give them the benefit of the doubt--yes, more people in the office should be knowledgeable and they should have better registration procedures that aren't contingent on one particular person being in the office, but until I saw otherwise, I'd assume they will comply with the law.

[miriam]

I doubt the state health code states that only the school nurse handles the vaccine and health paperwork. It is one more step that creates confusion for the parents.

The reason for this extra step is probably to have the school nurse read the State Department of Health provision for exclusion of your children during an outbreak. If you have the law in your hands at the time of enrollment, that provision should be in the law, so you can verify it with the nurse or secretary.

I have enrolled my five children many times in many schools, in many states, public, private, religious, urban, suburban, and rural, and I never had this problem.

My experience is that if there is a problem with your paperwork, the nurse goes over the paperwork later and calls. That has happened only once that I know of to a friend of mine.

[Drummer's Wife]

The school nurse needs to inform the office lady that exemptions in place of shot records will suffice for enrollment. I really think that's all it is - maybe this is the first time she has encountered an exemption and wanted to cover her butt before letting you register.

My kids' school has a nurse that handles exemptions/shot records but other schools we have dealt with did not have full-time nurses and (luckily) we never had any problems turning in the paperwork and enrolling the kids. I also knew exactly what was needed, and sounded pretty darn sure of myself when turning in the forms, so if they did question the exemptions, they likely did so after I had left the building, and then realized that I did, in fact, do everything as required for my kids to legally register for school.

[mysticmomma]

you are in washington, right? Are you fighting military here, or is this a public school?

Current Statutes & Laws: http://www.nvic.org/Vaccine-Laws/sta...ashington.aspx
Medical, Religious & Philosophical

Submit a written certification signed by any parent or legal guardian of the child or any adult in loco parentis to the child that the religious beliefs of the signator are contrary to the required immunization measures; OR A written certification signed by any parent or legal guardian of the child or any adult in loco parentis to the child that the signator has either a philosophical or personal objection to the immunization of the child.

[2lilsweetfoxes]

Originally Posted by mysticmomma

you are in washington, right? Are you fighting military here, or is this a public school?

yes, Washington. A public school on a military post. I can see their argument: "you can't have philosophical objections because YOU are active duty and get all the shots". (I'm military, not DH) I only get them under threat of UCMJ action

[mysticmomma]

Well, then your DH has the philo objections. Or your philo objection only applies to minors.