Kansas gives parents two ways to opt their child out of school-required vaccines: a medical exemption on a state form called KCI Form B, signed by a licensed physician, or a religious exemption submitted as a written statement signed by a parent or guardian. Both go to your child’s school or licensed childcare facility before enrollment or at the start of the school year. There is no state-issued Kansas immunization exemption form for personal or philosophical objections; the statute recognizes only these two grounds.
Medical Exemption Using KCI Form B
The medical path uses a standardized document: the Kansas Certificate of Immunizations — Form B Medical Exemption, published by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and most recently revised in January 2026.1Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Medical Exemption – KCI Form B Parents cannot complete this form themselves. A licensed physician, either an MD or a DO with an active Kansas medical license, must fill it out and sign it.2Immunize Kansas Coalition. Kansas Vaccine Exemptions
The statute requires the physician to state that the child’s physical condition is such that the required vaccines “would seriously endanger the life or health of the child.”3Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 72-6262 – Same; Certification of Completion Required, Alternatives; Duties of School Boards Typical grounds include a severe allergic reaction to a vaccine component or a compromised immune system that makes live-virus vaccines dangerous. The physician should specify which vaccines the child cannot receive. The exemption doesn’t have to cover every required vaccine if only certain ones pose a risk.
One detail that catches families off guard: medical exemptions must be renewed every year. The statute calls for “an annual written statement,” so your child’s doctor needs to sign a new Form B each school year the exemption applies.3Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 72-6262 – Same; Certification of Completion Required, Alternatives; Duties of School Boards If the form is not renewed before the new school year begins, the school can treat your child as noncompliant.
Religious Exemption Statement
The religious exemption does not use Form B. K.S.A. 72-6262(b)(2) instead requires “a 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.”3Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 72-6262 – Same; Certification of Completion Required, Alternatives; Duties of School Boards Read that language carefully. The exemption is tied to the teachings of a religious denomination, not a personal philosophical objection.
There is no single statewide form for religious exemptions. The main Kansas Certificate of Immunization (KCI) has a section titled “Legal Alternatives to Vaccination Requirements” where the exemption can be recorded.4Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Kansas Certificate of Immunizations (KCI) Some school districts have their own religious exemption forms; others accept a written statement on plain paper.5Kansas Legislature. Overview of Exemptions From Educational Vaccination Requirements in Kansas Ask your school’s front office or nurse which format they want.
Whatever the format, the statement needs three things: the child’s name, a clear declaration that the child adheres to a religious denomination whose teachings oppose immunization, and the signature of at least one parent or legal guardian. Unlike the medical exemption, the religious exemption does not require annual renewal; a single statement stays on file. If your child transfers, though, some districts may ask for a fresh statement as part of enrollment.
Submitting the Form to Your School
Bring the completed exemption documents to the school office or childcare facility before your child’s first day. The best time to submit is during enrollment or registration, because Kansas law treats a child who has neither proof of immunization nor an accepted exemption as noncompliant, and noncompliance can delay or block attendance.3Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 72-6262 – Same; Certification of Completion Required, Alternatives; Duties of School Boards
Schools record immunization and exemption documents on forms provided by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, and those records become part of the child’s permanent file.6Legal Information Institute. Kansas Administrative Regulations 28-1-20 – Immunizations; Schools, Child Care If your child transfers to another Kansas school, the sending school is required by statute to forward the immunization certification or exemption statement with the transcript.3Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 72-6262 – Same; Certification of Completion Required, Alternatives; Duties of School Boards Keep your own copies anyway. Paper gets lost, and a backup avoids scrambling during a mid-year move.
Outbreak Exclusion Is Still Possible
An accepted exemption gets your child enrolled, but it does not guarantee uninterrupted attendance. During a vaccine-preventable disease outbreak, public health officials can exclude any unvaccinated student from school if they determine the school is a primary site for exposure and community spread. Children with religious exemptions are specifically subject to this exclusion.5Kansas Legislature. Overview of Exemptions From Educational Vaccination Requirements in Kansas
An excluded student can return only when local public health officials declare the outbreak danger has passed, when the student catches the disease and fully recovers, or when the student receives the relevant vaccine. Exclusion periods track incubation times for the specific disease and can last from about 12 days for measles to as long as 160 days for hepatitis B, and additional cases can reset the clock.5Kansas Legislature. Overview of Exemptions From Educational Vaccination Requirements in Kansas Worth knowing before you file.
Privacy of Exemption Records
Immunization and exemption records held by a school are part of the student’s education file and are protected by the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Under FERPA, schools that receive federal funding generally cannot share your child’s health records, including exemption status, without your written consent.7U.S. Department of Education. Know Your Rights: FERPA Protections for Student Health Records
Exceptions are narrow. Schools can disclose records to school officials with a legitimate educational interest, in response to a court order or lawful subpoena, or to appropriate parties during a health or safety emergency, and even then the Department of Education advises disclosing only the minimum information necessary.7U.S. Department of Education. Know Your Rights: FERPA Protections for Student Health Records State and local health officials do review aggregate compliance data as part of Kansas immunization enforcement, but that review focuses on overall school compliance rather than on publicizing individual student records.