The State of Iowa requires students entering all grades to provide proof of certain immunizations to attend school. Students must turn in a complete Certificate of Immunization, exemption form, or provisional form.
Immunization Requirements
Iowa Code 139A.8 requires all students enrolling in an Iowa school to submit proof of immunizations to the admitting official using an Iowa Department of Health and Human Services Certificate of Immunization.
Documentation of a valid Certificate of Immunization Exemption (Religious or Medical) or Provisional Certificate of Immunization may be submitted in lieu of a Certificate of Immunization. Requirements for valid exemptions may be found in 139A.8 and Iowa Administrative Code 641-7. Refer to House File 299 regarding immunization exemption communication requirements.
Immunization Certificates
The law authorizes medical and religious exemptions to immunizations and provides for provisional enrollment of a child for up to 60 calendar days if the child has begun the required immunizations. Iowa Code § 139A.8(4), (5); 641 IAC 7.3, 7.7.
Medical Exemption
Medical Exemption
A medical exemption to immunization may be granted to a student when the required immunizations would be injurious to the health and well-being of the applicant or any member of the applicant’s family or household or the required vaccine would violate minimum interval spacing.
Religious Exemption
Religious Exemption
A religious exemption to immunization may be grated when immunizations conflict with a genuine and sincere religious belief, and is not based merely on philosophical, scientific, moral, personal or medical opposition to immunizations. Religious exemptions should not be utilized to prevent truancy issues with students not presenting a valid immunization certificate to enroll in school.
Provisional Enrollment
A student may be provisionally enrolled if they have received at least one dose of each of the required vaccines, or they are a transfer student from another U.S. school system. In such cases, a provisional certificate must be issued for a medically feasible amount of time in which vaccines needed to qualify for a certificate of immunization can be administered, not to exceed 60 calendar days (IAC 641-7.7(2). It is the responsibility of the applicant, parent or guardian to ensure the applicant receives all necessary immunizations during the provisional enrollment period and submit a certificate of immunization to the admitting official at the end of the provisional enrollment period (IAC 641-7.7(3)). If at the end of the 60 days, the applicant has not completed the required immunizations due to a minimum interval requirement, a new provisional certificate must be submitted to the admitting official. All provisional certificates must be maintained by the admitting official until a certificate of immunization has been submitted (IAC 641-7.7(6)).
At the end of a provisional enrollment period, if an enrollee has not submitted a certificate of immunization, the admitting official shall immediately exclude the applicant from the benefits, activities and opportunities of the school until the applicant submits a valid certificate of immunization (IAC 641-7.7(5)).
Medical Exemption Forms
Required Immunizations
3- and 4-year-old Preschool
- 4 doses – Diphtheria/ Tetanus/ Pertussis
- 3 doses – Polio
- 3 doses – Haemophilus influenzae type B
- 4 doses – Pneumococcal
- 1 dose – Measles, Mumps-Rubella (MMR)- or the applicant demonstrates a positive antibody test for measles and rubella from a U.S. laboratory.
- 1 dose – Varicella
- The Varicella vaccine is waived if the student has had a history of chickenpox disease. The parent is responsible for reporting the case of chickenpox to the school nurse, or local health department and the history must be documented on the immunization record.
Transitional (TK) and Kindergarten
- 5 doses – Tetanus, Diphtheria, Acellular Pertussis Vaccine (Dtap) (last dose must be administered after the child’s 4th birthday)
- 4 doses – Polio (IPV) (last dose must be administered after the child’s 4th birthday)
- 2 doses – Measles, Mumps-Rubella (MMR) or the applicant demonstrates a positive antibody test for measles and rubella from a U.S. laboratory.
- 3 doses- Hepatitis B (HBV)
- 2 doses – Varicella The Varicella vaccine is waived if the student has had a history of chickenpox disease. The parent is responsible for reporting the case of chickenpox to the school nurse, or local health department and the history must be documented on the immunization record.
Additional Required Booster/ Immunizations for Secondary School in addition to above requirements for TK/Kindergarten:
7th Grade:
- 1 dose – Tetanus, Diphtheria, Acellular Pertussis Vaccine (Tdap) – Booster required
- 1 dose- Meningitis Vaccine (Meningococcal) – Vaccine required
12th Grade:
- 1 dose- Meningitis Vaccine (Meningococcal) – Vaccine or Booster required after age 16
For more information, visit https://hhs.iowa.gov/health-prevention/vaccines-immunizations.