Existing law prohibits the governing authority of a school or other institution from unconditionally admitting any person as a pupil of any public or private elementary or secondary school, childcare center, day nursery, nursery school, family day care home, or development center, unless prior to their admission to that institution they have been fully immunized against various diseases, including measles, mumps, pertussis, hepatitis B, and any other disease deemed appropriate by the State Department of Public Health, as specified. Existing law authorizes an exemption from those provisions for medical reasons.

Under existing law, notwithstanding the above-described prohibition, full immunization against hepatitis B is not a condition by which the governing authority admits or advances a pupil to the 7th grade level of a public or private elementary or secondary school.

This bill would remove the above-described exception relating to hepatitis B. The bill would additionally prohibit the governing authority of a school or other institution from unconditionally admitting any person as a pupil of any public or private elementary or secondary school, childcare center, day nursery, nursery school, family day care home, or development center, unless prior to their admission to that institution they have been fully immunized against COVID-19. To the extent that the bill would create new duties for school districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

For purposes of the additional immunizations deemed appropriate by the department, and that would be mandated before a pupil’s first admission to the institution, existing law requires that exemptions be allowed for both medical reasons and personal beliefs.

This bill would repeal that provision, thereby removing the personal belief exemption from any additional immunization requirements deemed appropriate by the department.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.