Indiana school families have two options for opting out of required immunizations: a medical exemption certified by a physician on State Form 54648, or a religious exemption written and signed by the parent. The Indiana vaccine exemption form for medical reasons is issued by the Indiana Department of Health; the religious version has no official state form and is drafted by the parent. There is no philosophical or personal-belief exemption in Indiana.1Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 20-34-3-2 – Religious Objections
Medical Exemption: State Form 54648
The medical exemption uses State Form 54648, published by the Indiana Department of Health. Your child’s physician completes it, not you. The form is available through the state’s immunization registry (CHIRP) and can be downloaded from the Indiana Department of Education website.2Indiana Department of Health. State Form 54648 – Vaccine Medical Exemption
What the Physician Fills In
The physician enters the student’s full name and date of birth, then documents each specific vaccine that is contraindicated along with the medical reason. The form is vaccine-specific and does not grant a blanket exemption. If more than one vaccine is contraindicated, each must be listed separately with its own reason.2Indiana Department of Health. State Form 54648 – Vaccine Medical Exemption
The physician marks whether the contraindication is permanent or temporary, and if temporary, when the vaccine can safely be given. Either way, the form is valid for one year maximum and must be redone annually if the contraindication still applies.2Indiana Department of Health. State Form 54648 – Vaccine Medical Exemption
The bottom of the form takes the physician’s printed name, license number, and signature. Under Indiana Code 20-34-3-3, only a physician can certify that an immunization “is or may be detrimental to a student’s health.”3Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 20-34-3-3 – Exception for Student’s Health In practice, some nurse practitioners and physician assistants working under a supervising physician also provide the certification through the physician’s office.
Physicians base the exemption on clinical contraindications recognized by the CDC. The most common are a severe allergic reaction to a vaccine component or a prior dose, a severely weakened immune system that makes live vaccines unsafe, pregnancy, and a history of encephalopathy within seven days of a pertussis-containing vaccine.4Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Contraindications and Precautions Many of these are temporary, which is why the form renews yearly. A child who couldn’t safely be vaccinated during chemotherapy, for example, may be cleared once treatment ends.
Religious Exemption: Your Own Written Statement
Indiana does not publish an official form for religious exemptions. The parent writes and signs the statement. Some school districts hand out their own template, but a parent-drafted letter that meets the statutory requirements works just as well.1Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 20-34-3-2 – Religious Objections
What the Statement Must Contain
Indiana Code 20-34-3-2 sets three requirements: the objection is in writing, signed by the child’s parent, and delivered to the child’s teacher or the person who would otherwise order the immunization.1Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 20-34-3-2 – Religious Objections That is the full legal standard. The state does not require a signature from a clergy member, proof of church membership, or an explanation of the doctrine behind the objection.
Most school-provided templates ask the parent to fill in their name and the child’s name, check boxes for the specific vaccines being declined (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and others), and sign a statement certifying that vaccination is contrary to their religious beliefs.5Indiana Department of Education. Indiana Code 20-34-3-2 – Vaccination Exemption If you are writing your own letter, include the child’s full name and date of birth, list every vaccine you are declining, and state clearly that the objection is based on religious beliefs.
What Counts as a Religious Belief
The statute says “religious grounds” without further definition. Indiana does not limit this to members of specific denominations or organized religions; the objection rests on the parent’s own religious convictions. The law does draw a line between religious beliefs and personal preferences about vaccine safety or ingredients. A parent who distrusts vaccines without a religious basis does not meet the standard.
Where to Submit the Form
The statute directs that the exemption be delivered to the child’s teacher or the person who would otherwise order the immunization.1Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 20-34-3-2 – Religious Objections In practice, the school nurse or front office keeps immunization records, so that is the working submission point. Ask your school’s enrollment office where they want the paperwork.
Keep a copy of everything you turn in. Ask for a dated receipt or a stamped copy from the school confirming they received it. This protects you if records go missing or the school later questions whether the form was on file.
When to Submit
A student cannot attend school beyond the first day without an immunization record or an exemption on file, unless the school grants a waiver of up to 20 school days.6Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 20-34-4-5 – Statement of Immunization History; Waiver; Rules Have the exemption in the school’s hands before the first day. If the child’s immunization schedule has been delayed due to extreme circumstances, a physician or the local health department can approve a catch-up plan that lets the student keep attending while completing the remaining doses.
Medical exemptions expire after one year and must be renewed before the next school year begins. The statute does not explicitly require annual renewal of religious exemptions, but many districts ask for updated documentation at the start of each year as part of enrollment. Ask your school whether they want a fresh statement every year or keep the original on file.
What an Exemption Doesn’t Do
A valid exemption doesn’t guarantee uninterrupted attendance. If an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease occurs, an unvaccinated child may be excluded from school. Schools and local health departments have that authority, and it applies equally to medical and religious exemptions.
The exclusion period depends on the disease. For highly contagious diseases like measles, a single confirmed case can trigger an outbreak response, and an unvaccinated student’s exclusion could last three to four weeks. The child returns once the health department determines the outbreak risk has passed.
College Students File Their Own
Indiana has a separate statute, IC 21-40-5, for postsecondary students living on residential campuses. Students file their own exemptions rather than having a parent do it. For a religious exemption, the student writes and signs the statement personally and delivers it to the institution.7Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 21-40-5-6 – Religious Objections Medical exemptions still require a physician’s certification. Each university may have its own submission portal; Indiana University, for example, uses Med+Proctor for uploads. The outbreak exclusion rule applies on campus too, and a student with an exemption may be required to leave campus housing during an outbreak.
These Forms Don’t Cover Workplaces
The school exemption statutes (IC 20-34-3-2 and IC 20-34-3-3) apply to students and teachers in schools. They do not cover private employers. If your job requires vaccination, State Form 54648 and a religious letter to a school won’t help you.
Workplace accommodations fall under federal law. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act requires an employer to provide a reasonable accommodation for a sincerely held religious belief unless doing so would create a substantial burden on operations, and the Supreme Court’s ruling in Groff v. DeJoy raised the bar employers must clear before denying such a request.8U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. EEOC Issues Federal Sector Appellate Decision Finding Unlawful Discrimination in Agency’s Denial of Religious Accommodation to COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate The Americans with Disabilities Act requires employers with 15 or more employees to consider reasonable accommodations for workers who cannot be vaccinated due to a disability.9U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws Those requests go to your employer’s HR department, and the employer decides what accommodation is reasonable, whether that’s masking, testing, remote work, or reassignment.