Submitting medical records to school w/ selective vax MA

[16Starbuck]

My son is vaxed for all school necessary vaxes except Chicken Pox. He is going to preschool in the fall.

My medical record the doc gave us for school has vaxes listed on it. My question is how do you submit the paperwork for your schools if you selectively vax? Does your ped fill out the medical part but leave the vax part blank? Or do you send in the whole thing anyway? I'm obv going to send in a note with for religious exemption, but wondering how I should handle submitting other information.

Thanks!

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

im willing to bet that if you plan to use religion for an exemption, you have to be religiously opposed to the use of vaccines as a whole. Not just some. But I am unfamiliar with MA law. Emmelline will come in, im sure, and help you out.

[pjsmom30]

I am pretty sure, if you are claiming religious exemption, you have to submit the letter stating so, and you cannot submit any vaccines. This would contradict yourself, KWIM?

[Golden]

I think it depends of the school. My kids (10 and 5) went to a private school. My older son is fully vaxed. My youngest has had none. I filed a religious exemption with my youngest and filled out the vax form completely for my oldest. No questions were asked.

[MAMom]

When I get the forms from the school, I white-out the vax info sections, photocopy, and submit the "new" copy to the doctors office to fill out.

If I get the forms directly from the docs office, I white-out the vax info they provide (or photocopy only the side with medical exam info, not vax info) and submit that to the school.

No one has ever asked any questions or given me a hastle about it.

[jessjgh1]

People can certainly be selective about vaxes and still do the religious exemption; some may be opposed to a specific vax because some use aborted tissue at some point in the cultivation(?if that's the right term), for example. I wouldn't worry about it.... there are any number of reasons that one might be opposed to vaxes and I don't think the details are anyone's business but your own.
Jessica

[emnic77]

My ds's preschool didn't question it, but when they had their state inspection, the inspector questioned (he had a round of 4 month shots before we decided to stop vaxing altogether). Since we had totally stopped vaxing, my answer of "our religion changed" was satisfactory, but yes, they did question it.

[gusmom2]

thanks for this thread. i was going to post a similar question as i get ready to submit my son's pre-school paperwork. We have delayed but also have not given him the MMR or chicken pox yet (we would have done parts of MMR if it were still available separately). Not sure if we will ever do chicken pox.

I was hoping it just wouldn't be questioned - I know we got the record before he had the one vax at his last physical, so it's incomplete as it is. I'm hoping it's just a formality & not a big deal.

Has anyone had experience with the JCC in Worcester (or elsewhere) and vax exemptions?

[dmcleary17]

I submitted a selective vax form along with a religious exemption letter for my son to go to summer camp at the Seekonk Y. i was nervous that i would be hassled, etc., but followed suggestions from people on here, and nobody said peep about anything. there are form letters you can take wording from online (vaclib.org has one) that quotes the legal statute. as someone in playgroup said--people generally don't really want to get too involved in a religious conversation with you. good luck!

[lach]

I think you'd have a tough time explaining why you have religious qualms about just one vaccine but not any of the others. So I would not send that in, because it would make you look a little shifty.

We did a selective/delayed schedule and my ped just recommended sending in the sheet as is with no explanation and only worry about it if they make a big deal about it. No one ever commented and it was fine.

[grumpyshoegirl]

Originally Posted by lach

We did a selective/delayed schedule and my ped just recommended sending in the sheet as is with no explanation and only worry about it if they make a big deal about it. No one ever commented and it was fine.

That's exactly what we have been doing with our daughter. The law says the school has to have the form. The school just checks off that the form is in.

She's basically "caught up" on the required vaxes (we don't do any of the not-required ones except for Hib) except for Hep B, which I'm still on the fence about, and varicella, which she won't be getting at all.

[16Starbuck]

Originally Posted by grumpyshoegirl

That's exactly what we have been doing with our daughter. The law says the school has to have the form. The school just checks off that the form is in.

She's basically "caught up" on the required vaxes (we don't do any of the not-required ones except for Hib) except for Hep B, which I'm still on the fence about, and varicella, which she won't be getting at all.

So wait- you guys send in the medical report with missing vaxes and then the note stating your religious exemptions? Or just the form with the missing vaxes and then hope they don't notice anything?

[lach]

Originally Posted by 16Starbuck

So wait- you guys send in the medical report with missing vaxes and then the note stating your religious exemptions? Or just the form with the missing vaxes and then hope they don't notice anything?

My vaccine schedule has nothing to do with my religious beliefs, and personally I would have a problem lying about that. I also find it highly unlikely that they would believe that your religion specifically preaches against the chicken pox vaccine while saying that all the rest are fine. I just sent in the truthful medical form my ped's office printed out for me, and hoped for the best. No one from the school ever contacted me.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Once you have a religious exemption you cannot vax any more. If it is found out you did then you will loose that exemption. You can vax all you want up until that exemption is filed though without problem since you can change your beliefs at any time.

I am not in MA but when I gave the paperwork to the school for dd who was almost totally vaxed the Dr. put on her paperwork all the vax she had had and the dates. I got the exemption well after the last vax was given.

For ds who got 2 sets of shots those where listed as well but again the exemption was filed well after the last shot given.

Here you pick up the form at the Health Dept. and take it in to the school along with all the other stuff. The Dr. office has nothing to do with the exemption only the physical that is required yearly here for school.

[jessjgh1]

Originally Posted by MCatLvrMom2A&X

Once you have a religious exemption you cannot vax any more. If it is found out you did then you will loose that exemption. You can vax all you want up until that exemption is filed though without problem since you can change your beliefs at any time.

I don't think this is correct. Some religious would be fine with the components of vaxes, except those using aborted tissues, for example.
Jessica

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

While that is true filing and exemption is an all or nothing thing. At least here in my state it is and many others I have read about. You have to be opposed to the practice of vax not just the ingredients in the vax.

You can always call your health dept. and ask them about it though. But I know that here in TN that is the case and they keep up with it with the vax registry.

This is what is says about it for Florida for example.
http://www.know-vaccines.org/exemptionFAQ.html

Because vaccine policy adheres to one-size-fits-all full vaccination schedules determined by public health officials, you are not free to decide optimal timing for vaccinations or pick and choose which vaccines to utilize. You are not free to choose to withhold vaccination in the event that your child is not fully healthy before the deadline for compliance, and you may not claim to know whether your child is at risk for immunological consequences when your doctor or pediatrician says otherwise.

Here you can find exemptions by state http://www.vaclib.org/exemption.htm with the one for Mass. found here http://www.vaclib.org/exempt/massachusetts.htm

Another helpful link for Mass http://www.vaccinechoice.org/

[emnic77]

Originally Posted by MCatLvrMom2A&X

While that is true filing and exemption is an all or nothing thing. At least here in my state it is and many others I have read about. You have to be opposed to the practice of vax not just the ingredients in the vax.

You can always call your health dept. and ask them about it though. But I know that here in TN that is the case and they keep up with it with the vax registry.

This is exactly what I've read about here in MA, the bolded. It's the practice of vaccinating that the law is written for, not the ingredients...that apparently falls under a philosophical exemption, which MA does not have. At least this is how it was explained to me, by a nurse that did not vax.

As for lying about religion being the reason - I'm a hardcore atheist. When I write my letter, it states "due to my deeply held religious beliefs we are exempting (our child) from the vaccination program" and that, to me, isn't lying. My deeply held religious belief is that vaccines aren't 100% safe. They don't say it has to be a theistic religion, or a traditional religion, or that anyone has to belong to it except me. But either way, we belong to the Church of the Subgenius. Praise Bob.