Immunizations

In 2019, the Washington State Legislature passed a bill that removes the personal and philosophical option to exempt children from the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine required for school and child care entry. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee on May 10, 2019.

• The new law will take effect July 28, 2019, and applies to public and private schools.
• The law also requires employees and volunteers at child care centers to provide immunization records indicating they have received the MMR vaccine or proof of immunity.
• This law does not change religious and medical exemption laws. The new law does not affect children who have one of these types of exemptions on file.
• Access your family’s immunization records if you need to check whether you or your child meets the MMR vaccine requirements.
• This law will not affect most students. More than 9 out of 10 kindergartners in Washington are complete with both doses of MMR vaccine, and 96 percent of 6th graders have both doses. These students, along with those who have medical or religious exemptions, will notice no change in the new exemption law.

Please visit the Department of Health's website for more information on this change.

Parents/Guardians

• Access your Family's Immunization Information – Options for seeking a copy of immunization records and how to access MyIR – an online system for accessing immunization records within the Washington State Immunization Information System.
• HRSA Health Centers care for you, even if you have no health insurance – you pay what you can afford based on your income. Health centers provide services that include checkups when you are well, treatment when you are sick, complete care when you are pregnant, and immunizations and checkups for your children.
• Immunity Community – Immunization resource launched by WithinReach for parents, healthcare providers, and community partners that provides information, tools and resources to protect and educate our community from diseases that vaccines prevent.
• Plain Talk about Childhood Immunizations
• Vaccine Forms and Requirements - printable Certificate of Immunization (CIS), Certificate of Exemption (COE), school immunization requirements grid
• Parent's Guide to Childhood Immunizations - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U. S. Department of Health and Human Services

Department of Health (DOH) Resources

• Forms and Sample Letters for Schools Forms: CIS, COE | Sample Letters: HPV, Meningococcal, Tdap, Varicella...
• Immunization Manual For Schools, Preschools, and Child Care Centers
• School and Child Care Regulations and Rules
• School Immunization Annual Reporting
• School Immunization Reports and Data Tables
• School Immunization Requirements and Reporting Webinar
• Washington State Immunization Information System - The Washington Immunization Information System (IIS) is a lifetime registry that keeps track of immunization records for people of all ages. The system is a secure, web-based tool for healthcare providers and schools. The IIS connects people who receive, administer, record, and order vaccines in Washington.
• Washington State Immunization Information System: School Module
• Washington State Local Health Departments and Districts – Helpful in locating local immunization programs and communicable disease updates.

Additional Tools for Schools

• Ask the Experts – Experts from the CDC answer questions about Vaccines
• Imms-To-Go Toolkit – Resource for coordination of onsite immunization clinic
• Immunity Community – Immunization resource launched by WithinReach for parents, healthcare providers, and community partners that provides information, tools, and resources to protect and educate our community from diseases that vaccines prevent.
• Immunization Management Toolkit for Childcare - This guide will help childcare providers keep their immunization records up-to-date and makes the State-required annual immunization report easier to submit. This toolkit is specifically for Washington State childcare. The information contained in this toolkit is intended to assist both medical and non-medical staff at childcare in establishing immunization record-keeping and documentation workflow processes or modifying existing processes.
• Immunization Management Toolkit for Schools - The steps outlined in this toolkit will help keep students’ immunization records up-to-date and make required annual immunization reports easier to submit. This toolkit is specifically for Washington State schools. The information contained within this toolkit is intended to assist both medical and non-medical staff at schools in establishing immunization record keeping and documentation workflow processes or modifying existing processes.
• Translating immunizations from other countries: Foreign Vaccines

Videos & Clips

• NOVA|Vaccines – Calling the Shots | PBS
• PBS News Hour (09/26/17) Vermont’s rules on vaccines for school met with parents’ support and pushback

Vaccine Related Webpages

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) –works to increase immunization rates and prevent disease by creating and distributing educational materials for health professionals and the public that enhance the delivery of safe and effective immunization services. IAC also facilitates communication about vaccines' safety, efficacy, and use within the broad immunization community, parents, healthcare organizations, and government health agencies.
• The Vaccine Makers Project – Goal: The Vaccine Makers Project is designed to 1) engage audiences in stories of vaccine science and development 2) introduce a framework by which other science-based topics can be evaluated and 3) excite people about the process of and potential benefits from scientific discoveries and accomplishments.
• Mission: The Vaccine Makers Project is committed to public education about vaccine science via scientifically defensible, historically accurate and emotionally compelling content.
• Educational resources which introduce high school and college students to concepts related to the immune system, the types of agents that cause infectious diseases, and vaccine history and science.
• Voices for Vaccines - Voices for Vaccines (VFV) is a parent-driven organization supported by scientists, doctors, and public health officials that provides parents clear, science-based information about vaccines and vaccine-preventable disease, as well as an opportunity to join the national discussion about the importance of on-time vaccination.