Updated Exemption letter (for IL)

[twinsplusone]

Hi Its been a long time since I have been to this site & not sure if I'm posting in the right spot.

My kids are in grade school & have had no issues with their exemption letters.  This year there is a new school nurse & I got a call yesterday saying I need to update my letter....specifying 'why' to each vax.  I see online samples, which is fine.

My question is regarding varicella.  My kids have all had the Chicken Pox ~documented.  So technically they don't need that vax.  The sample exemption letter includes why one wouldn't want to give it. 

Do you include that, or do you leave it out all together since your kids don't need it OR in place of the reasoning, put that your kids will not be getting the varicella vax because they alredy have had a documented case?

My other question is about Hep A. It is listed in the same paragraph as varicella, but HEP A is not required for school at all at this point

do you include it, almost as a 'blanket' exemption or just list the ones that are required at this time, knowing that the letter will need to be revised in the school years to come

[shiningpearl]

I am assuming that you are using the religious exemption.  You should not have to go into any detail as to why for each vaccination.  The law does not require that. here is a listing of the exemptions.  I don't think I would go into listing for each vaccine.  That is a slippery slope and is more of Philosophical reasoning. 

The objection by the parent or guardian of a child entering school (including programs under the kindergarten level) sets forth the specific religious belief which conflicts with the immunization(s).  The religious objection may be personal and need not be directed by the tenets of an established religious organization

would just use a blanket statement and maybe list all the vaccines, but not give individual reason for each.  I would include varicella in that list, just be sure to have the documentation handy if they try to exclude you children should an "outbreak" of chicken pox occur. 

[shiningpearl]

Also, could you include a link to the samples you found, just curious. 

[twinsplusone]

What you said about blanket religious exemption is what I have been doing for the past 6 years (2 preschool & 4 for grade school)

My oldest are in 3rd this year. I gave the letter when they entered K, & have not been bothered since. Now the new nurse has obviously been updating files.

When I looked online I do see there have been changes to when I originally wrote my letter & it does seem to want you to include these religious beliefs per vax

Here is a link to the site I found with the most info

http://www.vaclib.org/exempt/illinois.htm

here is the link for the example I was trying to follow

(.doc) Illinois Religious exemption letter.doc

You know, if our old nurse said I needed to update my letter, it wouldn't bother me so much, because I know her. I have never even seen this new nurse. Its still early in the school year but my kids almost never stop in the nurses office.

[ma2two]

Illinois law has not changed regarding vaccine exemptions.

http://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/077/077006950000300R.html

The law says you are supposed to say what your religious belief is against vaccination, but that should usually be the same belief against all the vaccines. If your letter already gives the religious belief against vaccination, you shouldn't change it.

You should also have a doctor's note in the file saying your children had chickenpox, so they are not excluded from school during an outbreak.

[shiningpearl]

I guess if you are saying that vaccines are impure, then they would want to you "prove" how each one is.  I stated  in other words that I believed that God created us free of flaws with a perfectly designed immune systems and that vaccinations bypass that system and would be putting our faith in man instead of God.  ( I had more, but that was a big reason for me)

[twinsplusone]

UPDATE~ 

I got the nurses letter & apparently I really just needed to LIST the specific vaccines........evidently writing DTaP & MMR, etc  was not good enough.  I had to write out Measles, Mumps, Rubella, etc etc

She just called back saying I needed to add Varicella.  I told her they all had chicken pox in 2008 & it should be documented on their physical forms.  Apparently it was not entered into the computer system, so she asked me to add it to be safe & then she will hunt down the actual form.

[ma2two]

Quote:

Originally Posted by twinsplusone 

UPDATE~ 

I got the nurses letter & apparently I really just needed to LIST the specific vaccines........evidently writing DTaP & MMR, etc  was not good enough.  I had to write out Measles, Mumps, Rubella, etc etc

She just called back saying I needed to add Varicella.  I told her they all had chicken pox in 2008 & it should be documented on their physical forms.  Apparently it was not entered into the computer system, so she asked me to add it to be safe & then she will hunt down the actual form.

Excellent news. I don't think what she is asking for is required by law, but I still wouldn't have a problem listing the individual vaccines if it would make her happy.