Bronx, NY – Following the NY State Education Department’s (SED) inappropriate decision to override the NYC Department of Education’s (DOE) decision denying a Brooklyn parent’s request for a religious exemption for immunizations, Assemblyman Dinowitz (D- Bronx) wrote an open letter the New York State Education Commissioner calling on the department to cease granting non-medical exemptions.

Currently, under section 2164 of Title VI of the New York State Public Health Law, all children are required to receive immunizations for poliomyelitis, measles, mumps, diphtheria, rubella, hepatitis B, HiB, and varicella (commonly known as the chicken pox). However, current law also grants an exemption from the immunization requirements for parents who have religious objections to vaccinating their children, as well as a medical exemption should a physician certify that an immunization may be detrimental to a child’s health.

“While my proposed bill would repeal all non-medical exemptions, we can’t wait until it becomes law, which is why I wrote the State Education Department requesting that they cease granting such exemptions,” said Assemblyman Dinowitz. “When it comes to public health we can’t act fast enough, and after the measles outbreak in California this past winter, we should be doing everything possible as quickly as possible to ensure something like that doesn’t come to New York.”

Assemblyman Dinowitz’s bill is sponsored in the Senate by Senator Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan). Should the legislation pass, New York would become just the fourth state nationwide to adopt such a strict immunization standard, joining California, Mississippi, and West Virginia.

“Because not every child can be vaccinated for legitimate medical reasons, it is incredibly important that we make sure that every child who is able, receives the proper immunizations,” said Assemblyman Dinowitz. “I am tremendously disappointed not only in SED’s decision on this matter, but that they overreached by reversing the City Education Department’s decision.”