Msba news clippings3/28/2023 ![]() ![]() But HPV is also not a disease that transmits readily in the school setting like respiratory diseases - measles and mumps, for instance - do. Partly, that’s because it’s controversial to some. The vaccine, recommended for young people before they become sexually active, is not required in schools. Take the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2006 and guards against HPV, a sexually-transmitted disease that causes cancer. “The school law is an effective tool from a public health standpoint because it ensures that a large proportion of our population is protected against vaccine-preventable diseases at a young age,” Ehresmann said.īut not every vaccine that is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is required in Minnesota schools, Ehresmann explained. Ever since, they’ve been used as a means to ensure children - and a large swath of the population overall - were protected from disease. Adding vaccinesĬhildhood immunization laws have been around since the 1850s, when smallpox vaccines were first required in Massachusetts schools. Minnesota law gives local health officials the authority to close schools or exclude students who haven’t been vaccinated against a particular disease during an outbreak, but Krueger said whether such exclusion was related to a specific outbreak or was a standing requirement could make a difference legally. Still, the legal landscape is a little murky for Minnesota districts, said Jill Krueger, the director of the Network for Public Health Law – Northern Region.Īt least one district in California, Los Angeles, has said it will require COVID-19 vaccination for students once a vaccine is fully authorized, and courts have upheld New York City’s authority to impose vaccine requirements that go beyond state requirements. School districts could potentially require students to be vaccinated to be in school. There may also be a third route by which COVID-19 vaccines could be required for school children, at least in some parts of Minnesota. It’s intended to make sure that we have adequate public input,” Ehresmann said. “It takes 12 to 18 months to go through the process. If a judge approves the rule, the governor has 14 days to veto it or let it become effective. There would then be another comment period, a hearing, and then eventually a ruling by an administrative law judge as to whether the rule should be adopted or not. With those comments, the department would start to draft the rule and what’s called a statement of need and reasonableness, which specifies the problem at hand and explains how the rule is a reasonable solution to the problem. It would also inform the public and major stakeholders in the decision by putting out media releases and giving notice to doctors, health care organizations, childcare centers and schools, said Patricia Segal Freeman, legal counsel and policy advisor at MDH. The second way a COVID-19 vaccine could be required statewide is the rulemaking process, the way state agencies make specific policies to carry out laws enacted by the Legislature.ĭirector Kris EhresmannThe Minnesota Department of Health was given rulemaking authority over the school and child care immunization law in the early 2000s, said Kris Ehresmann, MDH’s infectious disease director.įollowing this process, MDH would put together a case for adding a vaccine to the requirements and then publish a request for public comments on the proposal in the state register. Given the current split control of the Legislature and loud voices, especially in the Republican Party, opposing such mandates, that is unlikely. The first is the Minnesota Legislature could change the law. There are two ways COVID-19 vaccinations could be added to the school immunization statute. (This is a looser standard than many states’ and there have been efforts, unsuccessful, to tighten it up.) Kids can also go to school unvaccinated if a doctor signs a medical waiver indicating the child shouldn’t be vaccinated for medical reasons or in some cases that the child has sufficient immunity, as shown in lab tests. Other vaccines are required for older and younger kids.Ĭhildren may be exempt if they have a notarized statement noting a parent or guardian’s “conscientiously held belief” against the child’s vaccination. For kindergarteners, they include: measles, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, mumps, hepatitis B and chickenpox. Minnesota’s school immunization law specifically names the vaccinations required for kids attending school or child care centers in the state. The school and child care immunization statute ![]()
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