Legislation allowing school districts 30 extra days after classes begin to verify whooping cough vaccinations of middle and high school students has been sent to Gov. Jerry Brown.
As a result of the 2010 whooping cough epidemic, the California Legislature passed a new state law that requires students to be immunized against whooping cough (pertussis) or be turned away from classes.
This law became effective July 1 and applies to students starting seventh through twelfth grades. Many school districts face financial problems and have requested some flexibility in enforcing the new requirements.
S.B. 614 is an attempt to provide a one-year reprieve to school districts that were concerned about providing record-checking for the immunization requirement.
Instead of requiring proof before admission, schools will be allotted an extra 30 days to verify students’ vaccination records
