New Menigococcal Vaccine Requirement
AMENDMENTS TO 105 CMR 220.000: IMMUNIZATION OF STUDENTS BEFORE ADMISSION TO SCHOOL
220.700
Meningococcal Vaccine Requirement for Students at Secondary and Postsecondary Schools which Provide or License Housing
(A) Each new student in a secondary school or postsecondary institution that
provides or licenses housing shall present to that school or institution, at
least two weeks prior to the beginning of classes, a certificate of
immunization that the student has received a dose of meningococcal
vaccine within the last 5 years. No such student shall begin classes
without this certificate, except as provided in 105 CMR 220.700(C).
(1) “Secondary school” shall mean a school or that part of a school that
provides education for students in grades 9 through 12.
(2) “Postsecondary institution” shall be as defined in 105 CMR 220.600.
(3) “Students”, for purposes of 105 CMR 220.700, shall mean:
(a) students newly enrolled at a secondary school that provides or
licenses housing; and
(b) full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate students newly enrolled in a degree granting program at a postsecondary
institution that provides or licenses housing.
(B) Each secondary and postsecondary institution, at the time of initial
enrollment, shall provide each newly enrolled student with detailed
information on the risks associated with meningococcal disease and the
availability and effectiveness of vaccines against the disease, if he or she
is at least 18 years old, or to the student’s parents or guardian, if the
student is a minor.
(C) A student may begin classes without a certificate of immunization
against meningococcal disease in the following situations:
(1) the student provides written documentation that he or she meets the
standards for medical or religious exemption set forth in M.G.L. c. 76, § 15D;
(2) the student provides appropriate documentation, including a copy of
a school immunization record, indicating receipt of the required
immunization; or
(3) the student, or the student’s parents or guardian, if the student is a
minor, signs a waiver developed or approved by the Department of
Public Health stating that the student has received information about
the risks and dangers of meningococcal disease, has reviewed the
information provided and has elected to decline the vaccine.
REGULATORY AUTHORITY: 105 CMR 220.700: Chapter 229 of the Acts of 2004
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