Immunizations

Note: COVID-19 vaccines are not required for staff and students, but highly encouraged, for those who are eligible. For more information about the COVID-19 vaccine, fact sheets and appointments, please visit the PSD COVID Vaccine web page or the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment website.

Vaccine requirements

PSD MMR immunization/exemption rates

Getting vaccinated is an important part of school readiness and keeps children from catching and spreading diseases. A table of Poudre School District's MMR immunization and exemption rates by school and frequently asked questions are available below, near the end of the page. 

Required and recommended vaccines

• Colorado law requires students who attend a public, private, or parochial kindergarten - 12th grade school to be vaccinated against many diseases vaccines can prevent, unless a certificate of exemption is filed. For more information, visit the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment required vaccines web page. 
  Your student must be vaccinated against:
  • Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTaP, DTP, Tdap)
  • Hepatitis B (HepB)
  • Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)
  • Polio (IPV)
  • Varicella (chickenpox)
• Colorado follows recommendations set by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
  • Students entering kindergarten must receive their final doses of DTaP, IPV, MMR and varicella.
  • Students entering 6th grade must receive one dose of Tdap vaccine, even if they are under 11 years of age.
  • All recommendations are on the Centers for Disease Control vaccine schedule web page. 
• Vaccines are recommended for hepatitis A, influenza, meningococcal disease and human papillomavirus, but are not required.

Exclusion from school

• Your student may be excluded from school if your school does not have an up-to-date vaccine record, certificate of exemption, or in-process plan on file for your student.
• If someone is sick with a vaccine-preventable disease or there is an outbreak at your school and your student has not received the vaccine for that disease, they may be excluded from school activities. That could mean lost learning time for them and lost work and wages for you. For example, if your student has not received a MMR vaccine and someone at school gets measles, your student may be excluded from school for 21 days.

Questions?

You may want to talk to a healthcare provider licensed to give vaccines or your local public health agency about which vaccines your student needs or if you have questions. Read about the safety and importance of vaccines at SpreadTheVaxFacts.com, ImmunizeForGood.com, and on the CDPHE immunization-education web page.

Paying for vaccinations

For help finding free or low-cost vaccines and providers who offer them:

• Visit COVax4Kids.org
• Contact the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment
• Call the state health department’s Family Health Line at 1-303-692-2229 or 1-800-688-7777. 

Vaccination records

Please take your student’s updated vaccine record to school every time they receive a vaccine. If you can't find your student’s vaccine record, it may be available from the Colorado Immunization Information System. Visit COVaxRecords.org for more information.

Exemptions

• If your student cannot get vaccines because of medical reasons, you must submit a Certificate of Medical Exemption to your school, signed by a health care provider licensed to give vaccines. You only need to submit this certificate once, unless your student’s information or school changes.
• If you choose not to have your student vaccinated according to the current recommended schedule because of personal belief or religious reasons, you must submit a Certificate of Nonmedical Exemption to your school. Nonmedical exemptions must be submitted annually at every new school year (July 1st through June 30th of the following year).
• Two ways to file a nonmedical exemption, certificates and online education module:
  • File the Certificate of Nonmedical Exemption WITH a signature from an immunizing provider, OR
  •  File the Certificate of Nonmedical Exemption received upon the completion of our online education module.
  • Downloadable certificates and online education module are available on the CDPHE website here.

Schools and vaccinations

Schools must report immunization and exemption numbers (but not student names or birth dates) to the state health department annually. Schools do not control their specific immunization and exemption rates or establish the Vaccinated Children Standard described in C.R.S. 25-4-911. Schools must include their MMR immunization and exemption rates from the most recently completed school year in a letter to parents and guardians. Schools may choose to also include immunization and exemption rates for other school-required vaccines. Additional immunization and exemption rates can be found at COVaxRates.org.

PSD MMR Immunization/Exemption Rates by School

Vaccinated Children Standard - 94% immunization rate for all school-required vaccines.

Frequently Asked Questions