Iowa bill would require schools, child care facilities to disclose vaccine exemption info to families

Iowa’s K-12 schools and child care facilities would have to disclose information that parents and guardians can exempt their child from vaccines in a set of proposed companion House and Senate bills that passed Wednesday through their respective subcommittees.

Nearly half a dozen Iowa mothers who oppose vaccines packed into Iowa House and Senate subcommittees Wednesday to share personal testimonies advocating for the passage of companion bills Senate File 6 and House File 34.

“That’s all it’s about, is information,” said Lindsay Maher, an Iowa mom who supports vaccine exemptions. “So we need to do a better job of making that information transparent for parents.”

The companion bills would require Iowa’s K-12 schools and child care facilities to include information about vaccine exemptions in any public communication to parents or guardians following recommendations by the Department of Public Health and Human Services.

Families can opt out of school vaccines if immunizing their student “conflicts with a genuine and sincere religious belief,” according to Iowa law. Iowa law says that that belief must be religious, but families don’t have to specify a religion or obtain a religious waiver.

A medical exemption signed by a physician who deems a vaccine would be harmful to a child is also an option for families in Iowa.

Elementary and secondary schools and child care facilities would have to publish vaccine exemption information on their websites and in registration documents. The legislation also requires the Iowa Board of Education to adopt a rule to require all K-12 school districts and schools to provide information regarding the exemptions to a parent or guardian.

Iowa community colleges and Iowa Board of Regents universities would also have to adopt a policy to require them to include any communication to students related to immunization exemptions.

Rep. Samantha Fett, R-Carlisle, who co-sponsored the House bill, told the Register the bill is an example of informed consent.

“It’s important that parents have the options in front of them if they’re required to make a choice, especially in the school district that says you have to have these vaccinations, you can simply say you also have the exemption, and then it’s the parent’s choice, it’s the family’s choice,” Fett said.

Maher said excluding information about vaccine exemptions is a medical coercion strategy.

“Schools are not supposed to be practicing medicine, and they aren’t, they’re gathering records, but, in this case, we’re using them to coerce parents into making the medical decisions without informed consent. Please pass this bill,” Maher said.

Rep. Tracy Ehlert, D-Cedar Rapids, who is on the House Health and Human Services subcommittee, said she is undecided about the bill because of a few lingering questions about the logistics of the legislation.

“Although I did choose to vaccinate my own children, I really appreciate the transparency and the informative piece of this bill that I can get behind,” Ehlert said. “I am just concerned about the unfunded mandates and I also was wondering if anyone can answer how it will be funded for child care.”

Sen. Molly Donahue, D-Cedar Rapids, who is on the Senate Health and Human Services subcommittee, also didn’t sign off on the bill because the legislation would be a blanket policy rather than allowing child care facilities and schools to deal with concerns about vaccine exemptions on a case-by-case basis.

“I don’t like legislating for everybody because not everybody is a bad actor,” Donahue said.

Fett said Ehlert and Donahue need to understand that parents just want vaccine exemption information accessible to the public.

“It’s not about taking a side on vaccinations or not vaccinations, but it’s understanding that there’s choices, that those choices are laid out in law, and we just want parents to know what those are and they can make the best decisions,” Fett said.

Sabine Martin covers politics for the Register. She can be reached by email at sabine.martin@gannett.com or by phone at (515) 284-8132. Follow her on X at @sabinefmartin.