California no longer accepts a personal belief vaccine exemption for school or licensed child care. Since Senate Bill 277 took effect on July 1, 2016, a parent cannot opt a child out of required immunizations by citing religious or philosophical objections. The only ways a child can attend without completing the state’s immunization schedule are a medical exemption signed by a licensed physician, or an educational setting that avoids classroom-based instruction, such as a home-based private school or a fully independent study program.
What SB 277 Did to the Old Exemption
Before 2016, a signed parent statement declaring that immunizations conflicted with personal beliefs was enough to exempt a child from every required vaccine. SB 277 repealed that option. Starting January 1, 2016, no parent or guardian can file a personal belief exemption for any currently required vaccine at any school or child care facility in the state, public or private.1ShotsForSchool. Personal Beliefs Exemptions FAQs
The law makes no distinction between religious objections and philosophical ones. Neither qualifies. The rule applies uniformly across every county and every type of institution, from large public school districts to small family day care homes.2California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code 120335 – SB 277
Are Old Personal Belief Exemptions Still Valid?
No. SB 277 did not void every existing exemption overnight. A personal belief letter or affidavit filed before January 1, 2016, allowed a child to keep attending under that exemption until the child reached the next “grade span.” California uses three spans for this purpose:
- Birth through preschool
- Kindergarten through 6th grade, including transitional kindergarten
- 7th through 12th grade
Crossing into the next span expired the exemption.2California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code 120335 – SB 277 By now, every grandfathered exemption has run out, because even a child who filed one in preschool before 2016 has long since advanced through the span system. If your child is still relying on a pre-2016 personal belief exemption, it is no longer valid.
The Only Remaining Exemption: Medical
A medical exemption is now the sole way a child can attend a traditional California classroom without the full immunization schedule. A licensed physician must examine the child and determine that a specific vaccine poses a genuine health risk based on the child’s individual medical circumstances.
The CDC identifies specific conditions that qualify as contraindications to particular vaccines. A severe allergic reaction such as anaphylaxis to a previous dose or a vaccine ingredient is a contraindication for all vaccines. Children with severe immunodeficiency should generally not receive live vaccines like MMR or varicella. A child who experienced encephalopathy within seven days of a previous pertussis-containing vaccine should not receive further doses of that vaccine.3Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Contraindications and Precautions Most contraindications are temporary, meaning the vaccine can be given once the condition resolves.
How Medical Exemptions Are Issued and Reviewed
Medical exemptions are no longer a private matter between a parent and a doctor. Since January 1, 2021, the physician issuing an exemption must examine the child and submit a completed certification through the CAIR-ME system, an electronic platform run by the California Department of Public Health.4Medical Board of California. Immunizations The system generates a standardized document the physician prints and gives to the parent. A letter typed on office stationery no longer counts.
CDPH clinical staff with expertise in vaccine science review exemptions, with particular attention to schools where the overall vaccination rate falls below 95%. Exemptions that meet the standard of care remain in force. Those that do not can be revoked, but only by the State Public Health Officer or a designated physician from the department’s immunization program.5California Health and Human Services. Senate Bill 276 and Senate Bill 714 Vaccinations and Medical Exemptions Questions and Answers
Education Options for an Unvaccinated Child
A child who is not vaccinated and does not qualify for a medical exemption is not shut out of education. Health and Safety Code Section 120335(f) allows two routes:
- Enrollment in a home-based private school
- Enrollment in an independent study program with no classroom-based instruction on a school campus
If the child never attends group instruction in a classroom, the immunization mandate does not apply.6California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code 120335 – SB 277
Children with an Individualized Education Program have additional protection. They must continue to receive all the special education services and supports listed in their IEP regardless of vaccination status.7California Department of Public Health. Exemption FAQs Federal law guarantees those services, so a school cannot withhold the educational supports a student with an IEP is entitled to. Some restrictions in general education settings may still apply, but the core special education programming stays intact.
Which Vaccines Are Required and When Schools Check
Health and Safety Code Section 120335 lists ten diseases for which proof of immunization is required before first admission to any private or public school, child care center, day nursery, nursery school, family day care home, or development center:8Justia. California Code Health and Safety Code 120335
- Diphtheria
- Haemophilus influenzae type b
- Hepatitis B
- Measles
- Mumps
- Pertussis (whooping cough)
- Poliomyelitis
- Rubella
- Tetanus
- Varicella (chickenpox)
Hepatitis B vaccination is not required for advancement to 7th grade, though it is required for initial admission at all other entry points.2California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code 120335 – SB 277
Schools verify records at two main checkpoints. The first is entry into kindergarten or transitional kindergarten, where the school confirms the full series of every required vaccine. The second is 7th grade, where students need an additional Tdap booster, typically given at age 11 or older. Schools must also check records for any new student transferring into a California school at any grade level.9California Department of Public Health. Shots Required for TK-12 and 7th Grade
If Your Child Is Behind on Shots
Missing a single dose does not automatically keep a child out of school. California allows conditional admission for students who have started the vaccine series but have not yet completed it. Under Health and Safety Code Section 120340, a child who is not fully immunized can be admitted on the condition that the remaining doses are completed within state-set timelines.10California Legislative Information. California Code Health and Safety Code 120340
To qualify, the child must have received the first dose of every required vaccine series and must not currently be overdue for any scheduled dose. The school must notify the parent of the dates by which each remaining dose must be given, and must review the child’s records at least every 30 days until the series is complete.11Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 17 Section 6035 – Conditional Admission
A student transferring from another school in the United States gets a short records grace period. If immunization records have not arrived at the new school, the child can be admitted for up to 30 school days. If the records still have not shown up after that window, the child must be excluded until documentation of compliance is provided.11Legal Information Institute. California Code of Regulations Title 17 Section 6035 – Conditional Admission