Dedicated to protecting and improving the health and environment of the people of Colorado
Dear parents and guardians of students in Colorado kindergarten - 12th-grade schools:
Colorado law requires students who attend a public, private or parochial kindergarten - 12th grade school to be vaccinated against many of the diseases vaccines can prevent. Your student must be vaccinated against:
diphtheria, tetanus & pertussis (DTaP, DT, DTP, Tdap))
polio (IPV)
measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)
hepatitis B (HepB)
varicella (chickenpox)
Vaccines are recommended for hepatitis A, influenza, meningococcal disease and human papillomavirus, but are not required.
Colorado rule requires that students entering kindergarten receive their final doses of DTaP, IPV, MMR and Varicella. Students must receive 1 dose of Tdap vaccine for 6th-grade entry, even if they are under 11 years of age.
The number, timing and spacing of the required vaccine doses is set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). You can view parent-friendly versions of the current ACIP vaccine schedules for children 0 - 6 years of age at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/downloads/parent-ver-sch-0-6yrs.pdf and preteens/teens 7 - 18 years of age at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/who/teens/downloads/parent-version-schedule-7-18yrs.pdf.
Please take your student's updated vaccine record to school every time he or she receives a vaccine.
If your student cannot get vaccines because of medical reasons, you must submit an official Immunization Medical Exemption Form to your school, signed by a health care provider licensed to give vaccines. You can get the form at www.colorado.gov/vaccineexemption.
If you choose not to get your student vaccinated according to the current ACIP schedule, you must submit an official Immunization Non-Medical Exemption Form (Religious or Personal Belief) to your school. This form must be submitted every year. You can either submit the official form online for inclusion in the Colorado Immunization Information System (CIIS) or provide a paper copy to your child's school. If you choose to include your student's information in CIIS, you may opt your student out of CIIS at any time. Your student's school may ask you to also provide them with a paper copy if you submit online. You can get online and downloadable versions of the form at www.colorado.gov/vaccineexemption.
Some parents, especially those with students who have weakened immune systems, may want to know which schools have the highest percentage of vaccinated children. Schools must report vaccination and exemption numbers (but not student names or birth dates) to the state health department by December 1 every year. Vaccination and exemption rates will be posted on the state health department website beginning in Spring 2017.
You may want to talk to a healthcare provider licensed to give vaccines or a local public health agency (LPHA) about which vaccines your student needs or if you have questions. You can read about the safety and importance of vaccines at www.ImmunizeForGood.com and www.colorado.gov/cdphe/immunization-education.
If you need help finding a healthcare provider, or finding free or low-cost vaccines, contact your LPHA, or call the state health department's Family Health Line at 1-303-692-2229 or 1-800-688-7777. You can find your LPHA at www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/find-your-local-public-health-agency.
Please share Page 2 of this letter with your student's healthcare provider as it provides helpful information about vaccines required for school entry per Colorado law.
Sincerely,
Colorado Immunization Branch | Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
303-692-2700 | [email protected]