Our office has sent out two prior Legal Updates regarding Senate Bill (SB) 277, a law that eliminates the personal-belief exemption with regard to immunization requirements that must be met prior to school enrollment: (1) A July 14, 2015, Legal Update titled “Recent Immunization Legislation”; and (2) A May 26, 2016, Legal Update titled “SB 277 and Immunization of Special Education Students.”

LEGAL UPDATE

August 26, 2016

To: Superintendents, Member School Districts (K-12)

From: Jennifer E. Nix, Assistant General Counsel

Subject: SB 277 Clarification

Memo No. 28-2016

Recently, our office has been asked the following question: “Is a personal beliefs exemption still valid if a student transfers between schools in California after 2015?”

This question is answered on the Shots for School website[1] in the SB 277 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section as follows: “Yes, a personal beliefs exemption filed with a school before January 1, 2016 is valid until entry into the next grade span (7th through 12th grade). Personal beliefs exemptions may be transferred between schools in California, both within and across school districts.”

Please contact our office with questions regarding this Legal Update or any other legal matter.

The information in this Legal Update is provided as a summary of law and is not intended as legal advice. Application of the law may vary depending on the particular facts and circumstances at issue. We, therefore, recommend that you consult legal counsel to advise you on how the law applies to your specific situation.

[1] Shots for School (www.shotsforschool.org), a California Department of Public Health website, has additional FAQs that might be helpful as you continue with the school year.

SB 277 Clarification (K-12)

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