Inoculations of Students

In accordance with the Rhode Island Department of Health requirements, which are based on recommendations from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), The American Academy of Pediatrics, and healthcare providers in Rhode Island, students are required to be vaccinated against certain diseases.

Every student attending a school in the Smithfield Public School District must provide proof of immunization in accordance with the Immunization Regulations determined by the Rhode Island Department of Health. This includes students entering kindergarten and students transferring into Smithfield Public Schools from another district at the beginning of a school year or during the course of the school year.

Acceptable evidence for having completed the specified immunizations shall consist of a certificate signed by a licensed physician, an approved record of immunizations completed at the time of each immunization and signed by the physician or his agent, or written proof of a positive titer.

No student will be admitted or allowed to attend a school without showing the required evidence to the school nurse or designee, as provided by the Rhode Island Department of Health’s rules and regulations for School Health Programs.

In addition, by seventh grade and twelfth grade, children must show appropriate booster immunizations as recommended by the Department of Health.

Exception to these Regulations: A student may only be exempt from the immunization requirements described if:

A physician, a physician assistant, a certified registered nurse practitioner, or other licensed practitioner, acting within his/her scope of practice, signs the Rhode Island Department of Health’s “Medical Immunization Exemption Certificate,” provided by the school, attesting that the student is exempt from a specific vaccine because of medical reasons, in accordance with ACIP recommendations and AAP guidelines.

1. A parent or guardian completes and signs the Department’s “Religious Immunization Exemption Certificate,” provided by the school, attesting that immunization conflicts with the tenets of their religious beliefs.

2. A parent or guardian completes and signs the Department’s “Temporary Immunization Exemption Certificate,” provided by the school. The temporary exemption allows a student to enter or remain in school until the date of the upcoming documented immunization appointment, and will expire on this date. The student must present a copy of the record of immunization(s) given to the school on or prior to, reentry.

3. The student status is homeless, as designated by the McKinney-Vento Act.

ADOPTED: June 1, 2020