NO SHOTS, NO SCHOOL? NOT QUITE
New York State Law requires that each child is immunized to go to school. Here's the law.
There are two exemptions: medical (see section 8 of the law) and religious (section 9 of the law).
First, the medical:
If you can get a doctor to write the exact phrasing of the law, you might get a waiver. The waiver must be specific. But even if it is, the school can reject it. Plus, doctors get hassled when they write them.
In NYC, DOH/ DOE employees tell parents that unless your kids has cancer or a transplant, the medical waiver 'DOES NOT WORK'. Employees of the DOH discourage parents from submitting doctor's notes because NYC knows better than the family pediatrician. Outrageous? So change the law
Now for the religious:
You have to have a 'sincere and genuine' religious belief that is contrary to immunizations. So this means you have to really believe what you believe and it has to be based in God. So a government employee can judge if you're telling the truth about your God. And if they think you're lying, or it's not really all about God, you have to vaccinate your kid or he gets kicked out of school. So in order for you to legally believe what you believe, a school official has to believe you believe it. Or Johnny goes home. Yup.
So, depending on your school district, your request could be a witch hunt-  or a wink and a nod.
Here's the form to fill out for the religious waiver:
Some points about the letter describing your religious beliefs:
  • You don't have to be a member of an organized religion
  • Spiritual, medical, moral and/ or philosophical objections are NOT religious.
New York State law allows for a personal interpretation of a religious belief. Supreme Court Judge Leonard Wexler's decision more than 20 years ago broadened the law to permit a 'personal religious belief.' That means a person can have an individual translation of a religious principle(s) that mean they must not vaccinate. If they have this belief, they fit the law. Previous to Wexler's call, refusing vaccines had to be a tenet (directive) of a religion. This restricted parents. Not anymore. Good call, Your Honor.
But that doesn't mean the school knows this, or interprets it exactly like The Honorable Leonard Wexler did. They can make something up and then it's your problem. If you have ever dealt with the public school system in any depth, you know what I mean.
For directions on how to write a letter, purchase the E-Book