To claim a vaccination exemption for a Nevada child, download the correct Nevada immunization exemption form from the Division of Public and Behavioral Health, fill it out, and hand it to your child’s school or childcare facility. There are four free PDFs to choose from, split by setting and reason, and picking the wrong one will delay enrollment. No fee, no state approval, no mailing to Carson City.
Which Form to Download
The Division of Public and Behavioral Health posts all four exemption forms on its School Requirements page, along with Spanish versions.1Nevada Department of Health and Human Services. School Requirements Match the form to your child’s situation:
- School Religious Immunization Exemption Form — kindergarten through 12th grade, public, charter, or private school.
- School Medical Immunization Exemption Form — K–12 students whose provider has identified a medical contraindication.
- Child Care Religious Immunization Exemption Form — children in licensed childcare or preschool.
- Child Care Medical Immunization Exemption Form — childcare or preschool children with a documented contraindication.
If your child is moving from a licensed preschool into kindergarten, the childcare form does not carry over. You need the school version.
One boundary worth stating up front: Nevada recognizes only religious and medical exemptions. The statute requires the objection to be grounded in religious belief, so a philosophical or personal objection to vaccination does not qualify.2Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 392 – Immunization of Pupils: Exemption if Prohibited by Religious Belief
Filling Out the Religious Exemption Form
Nevada law says a school cannot refuse enrollment if the parent or guardian submits a written statement that their religious belief prohibits immunization.2Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 392 – Immunization of Pupils: Exemption if Prohibited by Religious Belief The same rule applies to private schools.3Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 394 – Immunization of Pupils: Exemption if Prohibited by Religious Belief No doctor signs this one. You do not have to name your religion or explain the belief in any detail.
The form has three parts. First, enter the child’s name, date of birth, and school or facility name, and check the box next to each vaccine you are declining. You can decline specific vaccines and leave the rest on schedule. The vaccines listed on the school form are DTaP, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, IPV (polio), MenACWY, MMR, Td/Tdap, and Varicella; the childcare version adds Hib and PCV13 for younger children.4Nevada Department of Public and Behavioral Health. Child Care Religious Immunization Exemption Form
Second, sign the statement certifying that immunization conflicts with your religious beliefs, and acknowledge that your child may be excluded from school during an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease. Date it. The third section is for the school; an administrator signs to confirm they received it.
Does the Religious Form Need to Be Renewed?
The childcare religious exemption form states that it must be submitted annually, based on the enrollment schedule the facility sets.4Nevada Department of Public and Behavioral Health. Child Care Religious Immunization Exemption Form The K–12 school form does not contain the same annual language, but individual districts may set their own resubmission policies. Ask your school’s registrar or front office whether they want a new form each year.
Filling Out the Medical Exemption Form
A medical exemption requires a licensed health care provider. Under Nevada law, the form must be signed by both a licensed physician (MD or DO) or an advanced practice registered nurse, and by the child’s parent or guardian.5Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 392 – Immunization of Pupils: Exemption if Prevented by Medical Condition The private-school rule is the same.6Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 394 – Immunization of Pupils: Exemption if Prevented by Medical Condition A tribal clinic provider or their designee may also sign.
Section 1 is the student’s information. You fill in the child’s name, date of birth, and school; you sign and date; you acknowledge the outbreak-exclusion rule. Section 2 is the provider’s. They enter their name and address and write in the specific contraindication for each vaccine being exempted, then sign and date. Section 3 is for the school administrator.7Nevada Department of Public and Behavioral Health. School Medical Immunization Exemption Form
What Counts as a Contraindication
The provider is not writing freely. The form says any contraindication must follow Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) guidelines, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines, or the vaccine package insert.7Nevada Department of Public and Behavioral Health. School Medical Immunization Exemption Form The form lists two categories.
Permanent contraindications include a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) after a previous dose or to a vaccine component; encephalopathy within seven days of a DTaP or Tdap dose not explained by another cause; a progressive neurological disorder after DTaP; immunodeficiency for MMR; and substantial suppression of cellular immunity for Varicella.
Temporary contraindications include recent administration of an antibody-containing blood product (for MMR and Varicella), pregnancy (for MMR and Varicella), and a history of thrombocytopenic purpura (for MMR). A temporary exemption must include an expiration date. Once it hits, your child needs the vaccine or a new form from the provider reassessing the condition.
Where to Submit the Form
Both the school and childcare forms direct parents to turn the completed document in to the child’s school or childcare facility directly.8Nevada Department of Public and Behavioral Health. Preschool-12th Grade Religious Immunization Exemption Certificate Hand it to the registrar, front office, or school nurse. For a childcare setting, hand it to the facility director. Nothing goes to the state.
Keep a photocopy. The school files the exemption as part of your child’s permanent record. Under NRS 392.435, immunization records, including exemption certificates, must be included in the student’s academic or cumulative record and transferred with that record if the child changes schools.9Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 392 – Immunization of Pupils: Certificate Prerequisite to Enrollment If paperwork gets lost in a transfer, your copy prevents an enrollment gap.
When an Exemption Won’t Keep Your Child in Class
A filed exemption does not guarantee uninterrupted attendance. When the State Board of Health or a local board of health determines that a dangerous contagious disease exists at a school attended by an exempt child, the school must either require vaccination or keep the child out until the local health officer is notified and the risk passes.10Nevada Department of Public and Behavioral Health. Nevada School Immunization Requirements – NRS 392.446 The private-school equivalent is NRS 394.198.
Both the religious and medical forms contain a line where you acknowledge that an exempt student may be excluded for a period the Division of Public and Behavioral Health sets “based on a case-by-case analysis of public health risk.”7Nevada Department of Public and Behavioral Health. School Medical Immunization Exemption Form The length depends on the disease and the circumstances. You sign this acknowledgment as part of completing the form.
What Happens if You File Nothing
If a child is neither vaccinated nor covered by an exemption form, Nevada law requires the school to exclude them, and a child excluded for failure to immunize is classified as a neglected child under NRS 432.097 through 432.130 and Chapter 432B.9Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 392 – Immunization of Pupils: Certificate Prerequisite to Enrollment The same language sits in the private-school statute.11Nevada Legislature. Nevada Code 394 – Immunization of Pupils: Certificate Prerequisite to Enrollment The statute does allow conditional enrollment for up to 90 school days while a child is in the process of being vaccinated, but if the immunization certificate is not submitted within that window, exclusion follows.
The form itself takes about a page. There is no fee, no waiting period, and no approval beyond the school administrator signing to confirm receipt. Filing it before or at enrollment keeps any of the above from becoming your problem.