Restore Michigan’s Vaccine Exemption Law!

In Michigan, parents have a clear statutory right to exempt their children from school-required vaccines. A 2015 administrative rule, however, has significantly altered how that right is exercised in practice. Recent changes—including the rollout of a new Immunization Information System—have further expanded the administrative burden while rebranding the agency process as the official “exemption.”

The Statute: MCL 333.9215The foundational law is straightforward.

MCL 333.9215 (part of the Public Health Code) states:

(2) A child is exempt from this part if a parent, guardian, or person in loco parentis of the child presents a written statement to the administrator of the child’s school or operator of the group program to the effect that the requirements of this part cannot be met because of religious convictions or other objection to immunization.

The law is simple and direct: A parent writes a statement citing religious convictions or other objection and gives it to the school administrator. That should be sufficient. There is no requirement in the statute for education sessions, health department involvement, certification, or data reporting.

Medical exemptions are handled separately through a physician’s statement.

The Administrative Rule: R 325.176(12)

In late 2014, the Michigan Department of Community Health (now part of MDHHS) promulgated an administrative rule that took effect January 1, 2015. The key language in R 325.176(12) states that when presented with a medical, religious, or other exemption, “the administrator of a child’s school or operator of a child’s group program shall recognize the exemption status of the child.” It then adds that each nonmedical exemption filed after December 31, 2014 “shall be certified by the local health department that the individual received education…”

Both the statute and the rule describe the exemption as a statement of objection from the parent to the school. The rule explicitly requires the school to recognize it.

Recent Developments: New IIS (STC|ONE) and Language Update

MDHHS has transitioned from the legacy Michigan Care Improvement Registry (MCIR) to a new Immunization Information System called STC|ONE (the MCIR Modernization project), with go-live occurring around August 10, 2026.

Under the old MCIR system, schools routinely entered and shared student immunization and exemption data. This practice raised serious FERPA concerns: schools were sharing education records with the state health department and related systems without the written consent of parents, contrary to federal student-privacy protections.The new STC|ONE system finally addresses this FERPA issue. In the new platform:

• Only healthcare providers and local health departments can enter and verify immunizations and exemptions.

• Schools can view records and build rosters but can no longer enter or verify that data.

While this change improves privacy compliance, it simultaneously solidifies the cutoff of the statutory exemption pathway. Parents who present a simple written statement under MCL 333.9215(2) continue to be turned away. The administrative process—now reinforced by the new system and rebranded in online modules as an “Immunization Exemption – formerly known as waiver”—has become the only accepted route.

How Schools Became Health Compliance Officers

Because of the rule and the expanding systems, schools are now required to:

• Verify that every student entering kindergarten, 7th grade, or a new district has either complete immunizations or a properly certified form.

• Refuse entry to students who lack the certified documentation—even when a parent has presented a written statement that both the statute and the rule say the school “shall recognize.”

• Report immunization program compliance status (rosters) to their local health department by required deadlines.

• Transition to and train staff on STC|ONE, where schools can only view records and build rosters.

• Maintain records that can be audited during outbreaks.

Many districts also face financial pressure tied to compliance rates. This system has transformed school principals, secretaries, and enrollment staff into unpaid compliance officers for the state health department. Every hour spent managing certified forms or building rosters in the new system is an hour not spent supporting literacy, math, or student well-being.

The Practical Result--and What Parents Are Demanding

The statute and the rule both treat the exemption as a parent’s statement of objection delivered to the school, which the school must recognize. The new STC|ONE system and the rebranded online modules move even farther from that intent: the pathway to exercising the right is more firmly cut off.

Parents across Michigan are demanding that MDHHS and schools simply follow both the statute and the rule as written: accept a parent’s written statement under MCL 333.9215(2) as a complete and valid exemption that the school “shall recognize.” No additional administrative process should nullify a right the Legislature created and that the rule itself acknowledges. Data should be excluded from state systems unless parents choose to include it—not the other way around.

Bottom Line

MCL 333.9215 and R 325.176 describe an exemption as a parent’s written statement of objection to the school—and require the school to recognize it.

Current MDHHS practice, reinforced by the new STC|ONE system and rebranded “exemption” language, replaces that pathway with a certified administrative process.

By layering the rule and expanding systems on top of the statute, Michigan has turned schools into enforcement arms of the public-health bureaucracy while moving farther from both the original law and the rule’s own recognition requirement. It is time to realign practice with the statute and the rule: let schools focus on teaching, reduce unnecessary administrative burdens, honor the clear intent that a parent’s written statement of objection is a valid exemption the school must recognize, and ensure student data is excluded from state systems unless parents affirmatively choose to include it.

Parents are calling on MDHHS and legislators to restore the written-statement pathway the Legislature already provided—and that the rule itself says schools shall recognize.

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