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New Bill Would Publicize School Vaccine Rates

SALEM, OR -- Senator Elizabeth Steiner Hayward (D-Beaverton) is fine-tuning a new bill designed to increase Oregon's school immunization rate. New legislation would require schools to publicize student vaccine exemption rates, twice a year.

 

Senator Tim Knopp (R-Bend) serves on the Education Committee considering the bill, and was troubled that a student who has gotten two-thirds of required shots would still not be considered in compliance.  

 

Sen. Steiner Hayward agreed. "The new requirement calls for the notification to break it out by disease," Hayward says. "Parents are less concerned if students aren't vaccinated against Hepatitis A or B than if a child isn't immunized against measles or chicken pox, which are much more contagious. We thought it was important for parents to know what disease their children could be at risk of being exposed to at their child's school."

 

Earlier this session, Sen. Steiner Hayward tried to pass legislation that would do away with all non-medical exemptions. The bill failed to get the necessary support. This new bill tries to inform parents about exemption rates at schools, but would maintain current rules around obtaining a non-medical exemption. 

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