Republican State Senators Jesse Green and Sandy Salmon approved Senate File 2003 in a subcommittee on Thursday.
The bill requires information regarding exemptions for vaccinations as well as requirements for exemptions to be included in any public communication following the recommendation of a vaccine by the Department of Health and Human Services in any communication regarding vaccines to a parent from a school nurse. That information is also required to be published on the website of a school and in registration documentation for all elementary schools, secondary schools and licensed child care centers.
Lobbyists for several organizations said they were undecided. Eric Goranson, with the Iowa Association of Christian Schools, said he isn’t sure the bill would change much for the organization but is curious what problem the proposal is solving.
Victoria Sinclair of the Iowa School Nurses Organization said the organization would like the bill to say school district instead of school nurse.
Other education lobbyists were curious to get more specifics on what communications would be impacted.
Kevin Henderson, a resident of Wilton, said he supports the bill because parents must be “actually informed” of what their options are regarding school and vaccinations.
“Really we’re just asking or requiring schools and childcare folks to actually follow the laws that are out there and make sure parents are informed on what choices they have,” he said.
Lina Tucker Reinders, the executive director of the Iowa Public Health Association, said they are undecided on the bill but have concerns about what it might do to vaccination rates in Iowa. Reinders noted religious exemptions to vaccinations have increased recently which brings the vaccination rates down.
Chaney Yeast with Blank Children’s Hospital echoed those concerns and said while more information is a good thing, they are worried about it creating “vaccine hesitancy.”
“We have seen a decrease in childhood immunization rates in Iowa,” Yeast said. “We know that it’s important we keep those rates up for the health of our whole state and our children.”
Samantha Fett, a former school board member, said there is a lot of confusion among parents regarding vaccination requirements and exemptions for school attendance. Fett called the bill a “simple fix” to clear up confusion.
“This is really about parental rights,” she said. “I understand concerns about vaccine hesitancy, but again that’s the parents’ choice whether they want to vaccinate their children — it is not the state’s call.”
Oliver Bardwell with Iowans 4 Freedom said transparency is a must and that most parents don’t have time to keep track of the actual requirements as it relates to vaccines and school attendance. He also said the desire to keep vaccine rates up by keeping people uninformed seems “strange.”
Robert Nazario, a citizen from Hardin County, said he supports the bill for his five grandchildren.
“Parents are not fully aware of their rights regarding vaccinations,” Nazario said. “It is shameful. I believe that the parents are made to believe that the childhood vaccine schedule is required. We need truth in schools.”
Nazario also told the medical community to get used to vaccine hesitancy.
“We don’t trust the medical community anymore,” he said.
His son-in-law is a resident. He also has a daughter and daughter-in-law in the medical community who were forced to get vaccines.
“These folks need more exceptions than just religious and medical,” he said. “When a guy dated my daughter, I told him face up — no means no. If a parent says no to the childhood schedule, that is their right. Parental rights do matter. (Parents) don’t raise their kids with the government or the school district or the school board. Their wishes must be honored.”
Gabby Fistler, a current school board member, said schools aren’t being transparent regarding disclosure of vaccine exemptions for school children.
“Many parents have the perception no shots, no school is true,” she said.
Lindsay Maher cautioned school districts that their deception could lead to a lawsuit. While vaccine manufacturers and those who administer vaccines are protected from liability, a school has no such protection.
“School vaccination requirements actually defy informed consent,” Maher said. “If schools are not disclosing those exemptions, they are defying informed consent for parents.”
Maher said schools could very well be held liable if a child were injured by a vaccine the school claimed was required.
Democrat State Sen. Molly Donahue said she has concerns with how the bill is written and refused to support the proposal.
Republican State Sen. Sandy Salmon called the bill common sense and noted information should not be hidden from parents.
Republican State Sen. Jesse Green, who sponsored the bill, also advanced it to the full Education Committee.
