Hawaii Senate Bill SCR72

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/7/25
• Refer: 3/11/25

Caption

Requesting The Department Of Education And Department Of Health To Update Vaccination Forms And Recordkeeping For Public School And Charter School Students.

Impact

By enhancing the recordkeeping process, SCR72 aims to allow better assessment of vaccination rates among students, thereby enabling educational authorities to promote the health and safety of school environments. Updating these records will provide a clearer picture of overall vaccination compliance, particularly when it comes to mandatory vaccines. This can be crucial during outbreaks, as understanding the true vaccination status of students may influence public health strategies and interventions.

Summary

Senate Concurrent Resolution 72 (SCR72) addresses the need for improved vaccination recordkeeping for students in public and charter schools in Hawaii. The resolution requests the Department of Education (DOE) and the Department of Health (DOH) to update their forms and records to ensure accurate tracking of students' vaccination statuses. This move is deemed essential as it relates to health management in schools, particularly in the context of maintaining herd immunity and responding effectively to potential disease outbreaks.

Contention

While SCR72 is primarily a resolution for administrative improvements, it also touches on broader discussions regarding vaccination exemptions. The bill acknowledges conflicts arising when parents choose to exempt their children from certain vaccinations—like the HPV vaccine—while being compliant with others. A notable contention is how students claiming any exemption are classified as unvaccinated, potentially skewing data on actual vaccinated students and impacting public health goals related to herd immunity.