With medical exemptions written by disciplined doctors
being revoked, AVFCA has suggestions of what to do next...

As we wrote in an email recently, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) send a letter to all child care facilities and K-12 schools in California, alerting them to the section of the law which states that vaccine medical exemptions written before 2020 by an MD or DO who has ever faced disciplinary action in California, are now revoked (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WxHhNDtsJGwQ9_YXTCkDkhTT03_Lrdtf/view). 

Volunteer: AVFCA still needs more volunteers to research the doctor list.  You just need access to a computer and the internet.  AVFCA asks for a minimum of an hour of your time, but there are many hours worth of work, so the more the better! If you have an hour or more reply to this email with "Volunteer" in the subject and AVFCA will send you directions.

AVFCA Efforts: A Voice for Choice Advocacy has been working with our team to determine the best next steps for children whose schools have alerted them that their medical exemptions have been revoked.  If you are in this situation, schools are allowing children to finish the school year on their current medical exemptions, but there is no simple way to get your child back into school in the fall.  AVFCA has two immediate strategies and more in the pipeline. 

Next Steps: If your doctor is on the list and you have not been contacted by your school, AVFCA suggests you stay under the radar, but recognize your child is at school on borrowed time, and you need to work out a plan.  If your doctor is not on the list, then your child can continue to go to school with their existing medical exemption until the next checkpoint (TK/K or 7th grade), including transferring schools.

Once you receive notice that your child's medical exemption has been revoked, AVFCA recommends you...

- Complete the AVFCA Medical Exemption Disciplined Doctor Form immediately (https://avoiceforchoiceadvocacy.org/avfca-medical-exemption-disciplined-doctor-form/).  Many have asked if this is necessary.  The answer is yes, if you want to get further information on what to do next.  We will not be emailing or posting all action items publically because we want to ensure they are as effective as possible.  Your information will be kept completely confidential.  If you completed the form and your ME has since been revoked, please complete it again, so AVFCA knows you need immediate assistance.

- Appeal within 30 days.  Note: You CANNOT use the form in the CDPH letter because it asks you to check a box stating "I, the parent or guardian of the child listed above, request to appeal the revocation of my child’s medical exemption issued prior to January 1, 2020 because the physician who issued the exemption has not had disciplinary action taken by the Medical Board of California or Osteopathic Medical Board of California."  Instead AVFCA recommends you to send an email on the 29th day after your revocation notice to: [email protected], stating your child's name, your child's doctor's name and the reason why you believe your medical exemption should remain valid.  If you have completed the AVFCA form we will email arguments to use for your specific physician.  AVFCA does not expect the majority of these appeals to be successful, but we do feel it is important for CDPH to understand that parents are not going to just acquiesce.  

- Work out a plan for what you are going to do when your child can no longer attend school.  Your options are to get a new ME through the CAIR-ME system (close to impossible), homeschool, vaccinate, or move out of state, unless your child has special needs and an IEP in which case they are exempt.

Completing the AVFCA form will allow us to communicate with you directly on other strategic action items.  

If you found this information helpful and appreciate the work A Voice for Choice Advocacy is doing, please support us by making a donation today.
 

Together we can make change happen.

C

Christina Hildebrand
President/Founder
A Voice for Choice Advocacy, Inc.
[email protected]
www.AVoiceForChoiceAdvocacy.org