Updated NJ Vaccine Requirements Proposed For K-12 Students

NEW JERSEY — The state Department of Health and Communicable Disease Service are looking to update guidelines for communicable disease reporting, and a section on child immunization requirements rankled several lawmakers who said it was reflective of government overreach.

Health officials are considering updating state immunization guidelines to reflect recommendations by the federal Advisory Council on Immunization Practices (ACIP, a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

These federal recommendations do include vaccinations that New Jersey does not require for K-12 students: namely, for COVID-19, influenza, and HPV (human papillomavirus).

However, a presentation to stakeholders indicates the DOH would only use ACIP recommendations for the immunization requirements already specified in the current set of rules, not add new requirements.

Nancy Kearney, deputy director of communications for the Department of Health, told Patch that state health officials are not "suggesting regulatory changes that would introduce new required vaccines (such as COVID-19 vaccines) for K-12 attendance."

Current immunization requirements for children to attend New Jersey child cares and preschools include diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis (DTaP); polio; measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR); varicella (chickenpox); Hepatitis B; and meningococcal disease.

These are laid out in the New Jersey Administrative Code’s chapter on communicable diseases, and parents may opt their children out if they have a religious reason.

DOH officials are looking for input from stakeholders through May 31. The current rules expire Feb. 2024, and the DOH said it is standard process to accept feedback from stakeholders when updating rules that are nearing expiration.

"No changes to the current rules have been formally proposed at this time," the DOH said. "Any proposed changes to the rules would only be submitted for official consideration after this initial stakeholder input process has taken place."

The Department of Health did not clarify to Patch who is considered a "stakeholder" in the decision-making process.

Several Republicans in the state Senate questioned why the DOH is asking for feedback on immunization requirements if the department does not plan to change them.

“If the administration does not plan on requiring the COVID-19 or HPV vaccines, it should be transparent in its actions with parents and legislators,” said Sen. Steven Oroho (NJ-24). “This type of behavior raises many red flags and makes it seem as if the administration is trying to change policies behind closed doors.”

Sen. Holly Schepisi (NJ-39) criticized the DOH for "never hinting to members of the Legislature or parents that this might be in the works."

"It’s another shocking example of this administration trying to sneak through a major policy change that would further erode parental rights,” she said.

The communicable disease sections of the state code have not been updated since 2010 and were last approved in 2016, documents show.

The DOH is also proposing adding meningitis vaccine requirements for college and university students, according to briefing materials reviewed by Patch.

The department is further proposing new standards for the reporting of communicable diseases in both humans and animals, and establishing a surveillance system to detect and investigate public health threats. Another proposed change is expanding vaccine reporting requirements and shortening the time frame for reporting patient vaccination.

The DOH said lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic about addressing communicable diseases informed these possible changes.