"Mandatory" vaccine requirement in schools?

[strmis]

I'm not sure if I'm posting in the right place, but I'll try.

DD is going off to preschool soon and, of course, on the website of some schools one of the things they require is a copy of their vaccine and health history.

Well, I rarely took DD to the doctor and her vaccine history is non existent.  Is there an exemption form for vaccines? Does this apply to both public and private schools?

[ma2two]

I see you are in the Bay Area. If that is in California, then, yes, there is a very easy exemption to the school vaccine requirements. Just sign the personal beliefs affidavit on the 2nd page of this link. http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/immunize/Documents/pm286b.pdf Also sign the affidavit for the TB test if you don't want that done. You can check boxes A and E for them on the front. Leave the date blank.

Most schools will not tell parents about the existence of the exemption, and most will not offer parents the form without being asked. But you can print out the form. To make it the same as the official form from the health department, you can print it out double sided on light blue paper. Just fill out the form and send it instead of vaccine records. All schools in California, public and private, are required to accept the exemption. If possible, it's a good idea to wait until your child is accepted into the school before you give them the form, just so they can't pretend they're not accepting her for some other reason.