Updates to Maine Student Immunization Laws

Date: November 5, 2021
Subject: 2021-2022 Maine School Age Immunization Assessment Survey
 
Maine law (20A M.R.S.A. 6352-6358, Chapters 126 & 261) requires students enrolled in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grades to have on file and updated as needed, a current record of immunization which clearly documents each student’s present immunization status.
 
Under this law, students are required to have either vaccine administration records, laboratory evidence of immunity, or documentation from a Maine licensed physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant that immunization is medically inadvisable for each of the following vaccines:

• DTaP – diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis
• Polio
• MMR – measles, mumps, rubella
• Varicella – now a two-dose requirement as of September 25, 2021
• Tdap – required for seventh through twelfth grade entry
• MCV4 – meningococcal meningitis – one dose required for seventh through eleventh grade entry and a two-dose requirement for twelfth grade entry

Beginning September 1, 2021, students are no longer able to claim religious or philosophical exemptions unless they meet the following individualized education plan (IEP) criteria:

• A student must have had an IEP on or before September 1, 2021
• A student must have previously elected a philosophical or religious exemption
• A student, parent, or guardian must provide to the school a statement from a Maine licensed physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant that after consultation the student, parent, or guardian has been made aware of the risks and benefits associated with the choice to immunize

Maine law allows for a one time 90-day provision to these requirements. A parent or guardian must provide the school with a written assurance that the child will be immunized by private effort within 90 days of enrollment or the child first attending, whichever date is the earliest.
 
This year the 2021-2022 Maine School Age Immunization Assessment Survey will be strictly web-based (electronic). All public and private schools in Maine with students in kindergarten, seventh, and/or twelfth grades are REQUIRED to report. The data from this survey is used to measure compliance and assess the level of immunization coverage throughout the State of Maine.