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P5315 Compulsory Immunization Requirement

  • 5300 Health Services
P5315 Compulsory Immunization Requirement

The lawful custodian of every enrolled or enrolling students shall be required to present a Kansas Certification of Immunization in accordance with K.S.A. 72-6261-6264 and KAR 28-1-20 to appropriate school officials.  

Administrative Implemental Procedures: 

  1. Prior to the commencement of each school year, the principal shall give to all known students who will be enrolling or others as designated by the Secretary of the State Department of Health and Environment, copies of applicable Kansas immunization laws and Immunizations Required for School, summarizing the Board policy regarding the implementation of the law. 
  2. Every student enrolled in a Unified School District 259 school will have on file a Kansas Certification of Immunization (KCI) indicating: 
    1. Completion of required immunizations, or 
    2. A legal alternative applies and is claimed. Legal alternatives include (1) “Annual written statement signed by a licensed physician (Medical Doctor/M.D. or Doctor of Osteopathy/D.O.) stating the physical condition of the child to be such that the tests or inoculations would seriously endanger the life or health of the child.” Medical exemption shall be validated annually by physician completion of KCE Form B and attachment to the KCI; or “Written statement signed by one parent or guardian that the child is an adherent of a religious denomination whose religious teachings are opposed to such tests or inoculations.” The school reserves the right to require verification by the clergy of the religious tenets which precludes immunizations; or 
    3. The student has received the most recent appropriate immunizations in all required series and is in process of completing the required series, or  
    4. The child has recently moved into this school district is awaiting the transfer of records that will verify their immunizations. The student may be allowed up to 14 days to obtain a valid KCI documenting immunization compliance. 
  3. A physician or a health department representative, or a designated school representative (other than USD 259 schools) shall sign the Kansas Certification of Immunization (KCI). 
    1. Lawful custodians or school representatives of USD 259 are not authorized to sign KCIs. The form should list the month, day, and year the vaccine was received. 
    2. Updates (e.g. boosters) to immunizations already documented on a KCI on file and in the database may be presented to the school nurse. Adequate authorization of these records include health care provider’s signature and appropriate health institutional affiliation for those other than physicians. 
  4. The student who does not comply with immunization requirements shall be excluded from school in accordance with K.S.A. 72-6265. 
  5. Any student claiming any legal alternatives listed under 2b or 2c above shall be subject to exclusion from school in the event of a vaccine preventable disease outbreak in accordance with immunization laws. 
  6. The Health Services Department will: 
    1. Provide principals with information concerning the immunizations required by the Secretary of Health and Environment; 
    2. Enter immunization data in the computerized data base and submit reports to appropriate local and state authorities; and 
    3. Provide computer-generated documentation of enrolled students’ immunization status when available on the database, including notification letters to lawful custodians of students needing immunizations. 
    4. Seek immunization information and records, when necessary for verification, from health care professionals without a parent or guardian's written release, as allowable under current Kansas law. 
  7. Exclusion from school attendance for noncompliance with K.S.A. 72-6262 shall be accomplished by written notice to be given to the lawful custodian of the involved student. The notice shall: 
    1. Indicate the reason for the exclusion from school attendance; 
    2. State that the student shall continue to be excluded until the student has completed at least the next immunization step to comply with the requirements of K.S.A. 72-6262; 
    3. Be prepared in the native language spoken in the home. Exclusion letters in several different languages are available from the Health Services Department. 
  8. Maintenance of original KCI form after processing: 
    1. The original KCI will be filed in the student’s cumulative file along with any immunization update documents. 
    2. The duplicate copy will be sent to the Health Services Office for entry into the computerized database and to be reported to the Kansas State Department of Health and Environment.  
  9. Transfer of students and Kansas Certification of Immunization records 
    1. Transfers within the district will be processed according to Student Records and Enrollment Services’ normal record procedures. 
    2. When a student is transferring to a school outside of USD 259, schools shall upon request: 
      1. Give a legible copy of the KCI and any update documents to the lawful custodian.  
      2. Forward with the student’s transcript a legible copy of the KCI showing evidence of compliance to the receiving school. The original of the KCI shall remain in the student’s file. 
  10. The provisions of compulsory attendance K.S.A. 72-3120 do not apply to any student while subject to exclusion from school attendance under the provisions of K.S.A. 72-6265. 

Administrative Responsibility: Student Support Services 

Latest Revision Date: July 2011 

Previous Revision Date: March 1999 P5315 

Updated administratively for alignment purposes: January 2021 

Download P5315