Texas law requires that a student be fully immunized against certain diseases or must present a certificate or statement that, for medical reasons or reasons of conscience, including a religious belief, the student will not be immunized. For further information, please see the 2024-2025 Vaccine Requirements. For exemptions based on reason of conscience, the district can honor only official forms issued by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Immunization Branch. This form may be obtained by writing the DSHS Immunization Branch (MC1946), P.O. Box 149347, Austin, TX 78714-93447, or online at Immunization Exemption Waiver.
The form must be notarized and submitted to the school office within 90 days of notarization. If the parent is seeking an exemption for more than one student in the family, a separate form must be provided for each student. These forms expire after two years.
Each student shall be fully immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, rubeola (measles), mumps, rubella, and poliomyelitis (polio). Students in Kindergarten through Grade 12 shall have the following additional vaccines according to the immunization schedules set forth in DSHS regulations: pertussis, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and varicella (chickenpox). Students enrolling in Grade 7 through Grade 12 are required to have one dose of meningococcal (MCV4) vaccine on or after the student’s 11th birthday and a TDAP Booster. In accordance with state laws and regulations, additional vaccines may be required by DSHS and/or local health authorities in specific situations pursuant to a control order containing control measures.
The immunizations required are: diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis; measles, mumps, and rubella; polio; hepatitis A; hepatitis B; varicella (chickenpox); and meningococcal (MCV4). The school staff can provide information on age-appropriate doses or an acceptable physician-validated history of illness required by the DSHS. Proof of immunization may be established by personal records from a licensed physician or public health clinic with a signature or rubber-stamp validation.
If a student is not immunized for medical reasons, the student or parent must present a certificate signed by a U.S.-licensed physician stating that in the doctor’s opinion, the immunization required poses a significant risk to the health and well-being of the student or a member of the student’s family or household. This certificate must be renewed yearly unless the physician specifies a lifelong condition.
Provisional Enrollment
At the time of enrollment, a student’s immunization record or exemption paperwork must be submitted to the school. The law requires that students be fully vaccinated against the specified diseases. A student may be enrolled provisionally if the student has an immunization record that indicates the student has received at least one dose of each specified age-appropriate vaccine required by this rule.
A student must not be overdue for the next dose in a series to be considered provisional. To remain enrolled, the student must complete the required subsequent doses in each vaccine series on schedule and as rapidly as is medically feasible and provide acceptable evidence of vaccination to the school.
A school health staffer or administrator shall review the immunization status of a provisionally enrolled student every 30 days to ensure continued compliance in completing the required doses of a vaccination.
If, at the end of the 30-day period, a student has not received a subsequent dose of vaccine, the student is not in compliance and the school shall exclude the student from school attendance until the required dose is administered or appropriate waiver documentation is received.
A student may also be provisionally enrolled for not more than 30 days from the first day of attendance:
- if the student is transferring from a Texas School to a Texas school and is awaiting the transfer of the immunization record; or
- if the student is a dependent of a parent or guardian who is Active Duty Military with a valid ID card and is awaiting the transfer of the immunization record; or
- if the student is homeless as defined in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act
Immunization Records Reporting
Since many types of personal immunization records are in use, any document will be acceptable provided a physician or public health personnel has validated it. Validation includes a signature, initials, or stamp. An immunization record generated from an electronic health record must include clinic contact information and the provider’s signature/stamp, along with the vaccine name and vaccination date (month, day, and year). An official record generated from a health authority is acceptable. An official record received from school officials, including a record from another state is acceptable. The school’s record of a student’s immunization history, while private in most instances, may be inspected by the Texas Education Agency, local health departments, and the Texas Department of State Health Services and transferred to other schools associated with the transfer of the student to those schools.