Superintendent acknowledges Idaho law for school enrollment; exemption form not required
Idaho Superintendent confirms: Parents only need to write up a statement to invoke their right to vaccine exemption. Here is where you join Health Freedom Idaho. We are all in this together! 
️ https://healthfreedomidaho.com/join
Sara’s son was denied enrollment on August 23, 2017, by school officials in a West Ada County school on his very first day of kindergarten. <see article>
Her family had submitted their parental statement of vaccine/immunization exemption to the school in April 2017. Only three days before the start of school, officials demanded that the form provided by the Health and Welfare Department be completed in full without any modification.
PARENTS RECEIVE A RESPONSE FROM SUPERINTENDENT
With the support of Health Freedom Idaho, Sara received much media attention that forced the schools to acknowledge their error. This Friday, September 1st, 2017, the family received correspondence from West Ada County’s Superintendent admitting that the Health and Welfare immunization exemption form is not necessary for school enrollment.
The form created by the Health and Welfare Department (per IDAPA rule and altered for 2017) still does not meet the requirements of law.
The Health Department encourages schools to force parents to fill out the form unaltered, thereby violating several clearly defined statutes.
Health Freedom Idaho Brings Awareness to On going Issue
Denial of enrollment when parents invoke their vaccine exemptions has been an ongoing problem. School officials continue to violate Idaho Code 39-4802 and 39-4804. This creates a situation where parents are bullied or forced to sign Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s immunization exemption form under duress – unaltered. Health Freedom Idaho is aware of families forced to home school their children due to this situation.
Due to this ongoing problem, Health Freedom Idaho brought forth a bill, with the sole purpose of keeping families from experiencing bullying and discrimination at the hands of the schools. During the Committee meeting, Senators on the Health and Welfare Committee acknowledged that the form was outside the scope of the law and requested that the Health and Welfare Department modify it to comply with statute. (See SB 1050)
#HFIdaho and #ParentalRights for the WIN!!!! Health Freedom Idaho is here to support parents. It takes all of us working together to protect our parental rights. Please become a member or donate at healthfreedomidaho.com/join
Correspondence from October 2015 from the office of Idaho’s Attorney General to Representative Heather Scott reveals the Health and Welfare’s forms could not be used to exclude children from school.
Health Freedom Idaho Response:
I absolutely see this as a victory! The law is so clear that all they really needed to do was read it to know the Sara is absolutely right. I am so proud of Sara for standing her ground for her parental rights. Unfortunately, this came at great personal cost to her and her family. The citizens of Idaho have yet to be educated on the real issues with this form. Sara’s bravery has shed light on a very important topic. I hope that more parents will be inspired to stand their ground as well and not be bullied into signing a form that is not in line with their beliefs. – Miste Karlfeldt, Health Freedom Idaho Executive Director
Sara Walton Brady Response:
I am on the front page of the Idaho Statesman today for standing up to Idaho Health and Welfare and The West Ada School district. They illegally demanded I sign a form that had overstepped Idaho code 39-4802 and did not follow IDAPA 16.02.15 and exceeded their authority to require. I submitted my Parent Signed Immunization Exemption Statement with the Idaho law on April 26, 2017. I thought everything was taken care of for almost 4 months. I was told by the District Nurse three business days before start of school that I must sign a form that I knew was not required by law. How did I know this? I was part of promoting SB 1050, a bill clarifying Idaho law 39-4802. See: http://magicvalley.com/…/article_a2b9a7b0-52c6-5307-8897-4a… (the headline is misleading…the law already at that point allowed for admittance without a form)
SEE Health Freedom Idaho SB 1050 support page
The majority of Senators were in support of this bill. It eventually was drawer-ed because instead Idaho Health and Welfare was asked to correct the form and include on the form that it was not required to be signed for school enrollment. When I viewed the form I could see the changes requested had not been done and that Idaho Health and Welfare had created a form, which was promulgated due to IDAPA 16.02.15. which form was SUPPOSED to line up with IDAHO STATUTE 39-4802 but DID NOT. The number one reason that form did not line up with the Statute is Health and Welfare providing a standard statement that originated from them (not me, the parent per Idaho Code)I did not identify with the statement nor did I wanted to sign it. I was not allowed to cross anything out. I wouldn’t let a bank, car dealer or any person try to make me sign something I didn’t agree to, and by principle I wasn’t going to sign my name to anything that could be used against myself at a later time. I was happy initialing that I’d read their statement. That also was not acceptable. This brought me to the point of allowing the schools and Idaho Health and Welfare to continue their overreach and discrimination. If you think I’m the only person this has happened to, think again.
My only recourse was to reach out to our legislators and the media.
- KBOI2
- KBOI Nate Shelman (Nate was overly harsh on me but I forgive him and thank him for allowing me on his show, thanks Nate!)
- Meridian Press
- Boise Weekly
- Meridian Press
- Idaho Statesmen
The school decided to privately acknowledge that I had submitted a parent signed statement but not BEFORE telling multiple news outlets that I had not provided the necessary documentation, when in fact I had OVER FOUR MONTHS ago. I have asked them for a public apology but they have not responded to me for the request.
Here is the email from Superintendent Ranells, changing their original stance of denying my son enrollment:
“Dear Ms. Brady:
I have investigated the laws regarding immunizations and your right to ask for an exemption. It is my understanding that you have provided a written statement to Ustick elementary requesting to be exempted from Idaho’s immunization requirements. Based on our investigation of the Idaho code that pertains to exemptions to immunizations, your son will be able to begin school on Tuesday, September 4, which is the first school day after the Labor Day weekend.
Sincerely,
Dr. Mary Ann Ranells”While I do appreciate them finally agreeing to follow Idaho law 39-4802, the matter still remains of them admitting to this mistake to the public and other parents who have been experiencing these same issues with little recourse except litigation. An apology is in order for this issue that had to escalate to this point to achieve a resolution.
I don’t believe a lawsuit is the answer to everything, but I do believe if our Government, school officials, etc., will not listen to “We the People” then those means should be pursued. It’s regrettable that it has escalated to the point it has.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/article171926487.html
