School Immunization
All students and school staff members deserve a healthy school environment that supports their well-being and builds a strong foundation for learning. Because vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles can spread rapidly, adequate vaccination coverage at the school levelāroughly 95% for each vaccineāhelps to protect the health of students, staff and others in the community, including those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons or because they are still too young to receive vaccines.
Colorado School Immunization Policy
Colorado law requires students attending schools and licensed child care facilities to be vaccinated against certain diseases, or have either a medical or non-medical (personal belief) vaccine exemption on file. Colorado law also requires most schools, child care centers, preschools and Head Start programs with 10 or more children to submit their facilityās immunization and exemption data to the state health department annually. In 2020, a new law was passed in Colorado that changes the wayĀ a parent can obtain a nonmedical vaccine exemption. School and child care facility administrators will have to determine whether Certificates of nonmedical exemption submitted by parents are valid.
What Could a Measles Outbreak Mean for Colorado Schools?
An increase in the number of measles cases in the U.S. over the past few years has highlighted the importance of preparing for the impact of a potential measles outbreak in the school setting. Because measles is a highly contagious disease, students who are unvaccinated or missing a record of measles vaccination could be excluded from school to protect them from exposure and to prevent transmission to other children. This could disrupt studentsā learning and put strain on school staff and public health officials.Visit the data dashboard below to see how many students might be excluded in the event of a measles outbreak.
Nearly 45,000 Colorado students would potentially be excluded from school for up to 21 days in the event of a measles outbreak.
