It’s that time of year again. As our beautiful Minnesota summer winds down and busy parents send their children back to school, the Vaccine Safety Council of Minnesota wants to remind parents of their rights when it comes to vaccines and school.
Unfortunately, VSCM has been flooded with parental reports of school districts that are making false claims regarding the vaccination rules for students.
Parents are receiving statements similar to these:
“If your student has not received such and such a vaccine, he/she will be excluded from school”
“Your child is missing/needs the following vaccines”
“Our records show your child is non-compliant”
“The following vaccines are required before your child can begin school”
But rest assured – in Minnesota, YOU (the parents) are in complete control over which vaccines your child receives, and when! Blanket statements such as “No Shots, No School” are false, and appear to be an intentionally misleading representation of parental rights.
Children who are medically contraindicated for receiving certain vaccines may have medical exemptions signed by their doctor.
To otherwise obtain an exemption from any or all vaccines in Minnesota, you need only write a statement of your conscientious objection, sign it, and have it notarized. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has an exemption form that you can use. BUT – be aware that Vaccine Safety Council of Minnesota strongly objects to some wording that was slipped in to this exemption form recently, possibly without authorization.
MDH’s exemption statement now includes the following line: “However, not following vaccine recommendations may endanger the health or life of the child or others they come in contact with”
The problem with this statement is that it can just as easily be stated (and with more actual evidence) “I understand that by following vaccine recommendations, I may endanger the health or life of my child and others they may come in contact with”
MDH does not require people to sign such a statement whenever a vaccine is administered, despite knowing each and every vaccine has the potential to cause death or permanent brain damage. MDH is well aware that pertussis-containing vaccines do not prevent recipients from carrying and transmitting the pertussis bacteria to others. They also know that for live virus vaccines (measles, mumps, rubella, and chicken pox) vaccinated people can endanger others because they shed the virus for weeks after being vaccinated. And of course, there is no guarantee whatsoever of vaccine efficacy, so even the vaccinated often become ill with the very diseases they were vaccinated against.
So it is the recommendation of the Vaccine Safety Council of Minnesota that the MDH vaccine exemption form NOT be used. Create your own statement and have it notarized. If you do choose to use the MDH exemption form, boldly cross out the offensive language and initial the form.
Here is a template if you choose to create your own exemption statement:
To Whom It May Concern At __________________ School District;
(Parent) and (Parent), as the Parents of (Child’s name) are exercising our rights under the First Amendment of the US Constitution and Minnesota Statutes: 121A.15 Health Standards; Immunizations; School Children; Subd. 3 (d) to file a Religious/Conscientious Exemption to all vaccinations.
Respectfully,
Parent(s) Names ____________________________
Parent(s) of ________________________________
Date__________
Notarized:
State of _________________________________, ________________________ County
I,_________________________________, a Notary Public for said County and State, do hereby certify that ____________________________ and
_________________________________personally appeared before me this day and acknowledged the due execution of the foregoing instrument.
Witness my hand and official seal, this the ______ day of ______________, 20 ____.
Notary Signature:_______________________________________________
We wish you a safe and healthy school year!