Vaccine Exemptions

For the 2021-2022 school year, all children will either need to be up-to-date on their vaccinations or submit a vaccination exemption form.  There are two types of vaccination exemptions.

Medical Exemptions

True Medical exemptions are very rare and usually reserved for those who have negatively reacted to vaccines in the past. We don’t make these rules. Here is a link to many of the contraindications for vaccinations.

If you believe your child qualifies for a medical exemption, we can discuss this with you at either your child’s well-child care visit or schedule a short appointment to discuss it at any other time.

Non-Medical Exemptions (formerly called Personal & Religious Exemptions) 

In the state of Colorado, you are entitled to exempt your child from the “mandatory” vaccinations for any reason. Starting this year, you will need to watch an online education program before you can exempt your child. Click on this link to access the new program.

After personally reviewing the program for my own children’s vaccine exemptions, I was pleasantly surprised. I found it to be informative, accurate and non-judgmental for the most part. It is certainly one-sided and I think some helpful information was left out, but my overall impression was positive.

At the end of the online module, you will have an opportunity to fill out a digital Non-Medical exemption form for all your children. If you submit it electronically you will also be added to the state database.  To avoid being added to the database you may choose the print-only option and provide the printed form to any institution you choose.

There is an additional option to skip the online educational module if you get a provider’s signature. Because we believe that the online module is worthwhile, and it is ultimately your decision and therefore your responsibility to decide how you choose to vaccinate your child, we will not be signing those forms.