JFK must comply with the State of Iowa regarding required school immunizations. We are audited each fall and must provide proof of each student’s immunizations unless the student has been granted a waiver. Students may be sent home and not allowed to be at school if immunizations and/or waivers are not current.
Iowa law requires all students present a valid immunization record before they can enroll in school. Proof of immunizations must include submission of one of the following immunization records:
- Iowa HHS completed immunization record,
- Iowa HHS religious exemption record or
- Iowa HHS medical exemption record signed by a prescribing doctor specifying that the immunizations required would be injurious to the student or to any household member.
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- Please note: Exemptions do not apply when the Iowa Council of Health and Human Services has determined and the Director of Iowa Health and Human Services has declared an emergency or epidemic exists.
Catholic students are typically not eligible for a religious exemption as the Catholic Church has no religious objections to vaccinations and sees their use as a way to promote the common good and protect the vulnerable. However, the Catholic Church also upholds an individual’s right to refuse a vaccine based on a sincerely held, properly formed moral conscience. This stance is nuanced, balancing the duty to the community’s health with respect for personal decision-making, particularly concerning ethical objections related to vaccines developed using abortion-derived cell lines.
7th grade Iowa Immunization Law
MENINGOCOCCAL VACCINE
Iowa law requires all 7th-grade students to receive a meningococcal vaccine, which helps protect against meningitis—a serious bacterial infection of the brain, blood, and spinal cord.
According to state law, there is no grace period for this requirement. Students who do not have documentation of the vaccine, or a valid Iowa HHS medical or religious exemption, will not be allowed to attend school until proper documentation is submitted.
TDAP VACCINE
You can check your child’s immunization record or contact their healthcare provider to confirm whether they have received the Tdap booster and meningitis vaccine. If they have not, please schedule an appointment as soon as possible. Contact the County Public Health for additional information.
