Health, Department of

Wyoming Immunization Program

Effective Date: 02/07/2018 to Current

Rule Type: Current Rules & Regulations

Reference Number: 048.0071.4.02072018

Chapter 4

Duties of School and Child Caring Facility Administrators

Section 1. Authority

The Wyoming Department of Health (Department) promulgates this chapter under the authority granted by Wyo. Stat. Ann. §§ 14-4-116, 21-4-309, 35-1-240, and 35-4-101.

Section 2. Purpose

This chapter establishes the duties of school and child caring facility administrators in regard to the mandatory immunizations and the control and management of communicable diseases.

Section 3. Applicability

This chapter applies to all Wyoming schools and child caring facilities.

Section 4. Administrator Responsibilities

(a) A school or child caring facility administrator or the administrator's designee shall: (i) Inform parents of the immunization requirements described in Chapter 3 of these rules; (ii) Not permit a child to attend a school or child caring facility for more than thirty (30) calendars days after the date of the child's entry unless the child's parents have submitted the required documentation of the child's immunization status under Chapter 3 of these rules; (iii) Act in accordance with section 6 of this chapter in regard to conditional enrollment; (iv) Maintain all documentation received regarding the child's immunization status in the child's school or child caring facility record; (v) Transfer a child's documentation regarding immunization status if the child transfers to another school or child caring facility within Wyoming; (vi) Assess the required documentation of each child's immunization status as needed in accordance with Chapter 3 of these rules; (vii) Make a child's submitted documentation regarding immunization status available for inspection and review by authorized representatives of the Department;

(viii) Report the immunization status and conditional enrollment of each enrolled child once per year using the forms and process established by the Department; and

(ix) For the control and management of communicable diseases, refer parents to an authorized user of the Immunization Information System (IIS) established by the Department for the purpose of creating an IIS immunization record or adding immunization information to an existing record pursuant to Chapter 5, Section 15 of these rules.

Section 5. Documentation of Immunization Status

(a) A school or child caring facility administrator shall accept the following as documentation of a child's immunization status:

1. (i) Proof of immunization pursuant to Chapter 3, Section 5 of these rules;
2. (ii) Evidence of immunity pursuant to Chapter 3, Section 6 of these rules; and
3. (iii) An approved religious or medical waiver pursuant to Chapter 3, Section 7 of these rules.

Section 6. Conditional Enrollment

(a) Following the 30 day exclusion date, a school or child caring facility administrator may grant conditional enrollment to a child who is not fully immunized upon receipt of written documentation that is in accordance with Chapter 3 Section 7 Subsection (c) of these rules.

(b) A school or child caring facility administrator or the administrator's designee shall monitor and confirm that the child has completed the serologic test or subsequent dose of a vaccine according to the submitted written documentation.

(c) A school or child caring facility administrator shall not permit a child to continue attending the school or child caring facility for more than fourteen (14) calendar days without verification that the child has received the subsequent dose of a vaccine in accordance with the written documentation from the primary health care provider, the primary health care provider's designee, or by a public health authority.

Section 7. Exclusions During Communicable Disease Outbreaks

(a) In the event of a vaccine-preventable disease outbreak, as determined by the State Health Officer or County Health Officer, a school or child caring facility administrator shall exclude from attendance any child who is not fully immunized against the occurring vaccine preventable disease.

(b) This section applies to a child with an approved waiver, a child granted conditional enrollment, or a child without documentary proof of complete immunization or serologic evidence of immunity pursuant to Chapter 3 of these rules.

Section 8. IIS Access for Schools

(a) A school may enroll with the IIS in accordance with Chapter 5 of these rules for the purpose of obtaining documentation of immunization status in accordance with this chapter.

(b) The school administrator shall ensure that qualifying parental consent has been obtained and documented in the child’s record prior to the school administrator or the administrator’s designee accessing a child’s immunization record in the IIS.

(c) The following qualifies as documentation of parental consent under this section:

(i) A completed Immunization Agreement Between Parent/Guardian and School, found at https://health.wyo.gov/publichealth/immunization/ and made available by the Department upon request;

(ii) Electronic consent captured in the school’s computer system with language consistent with the Immunization Agreement Between Parent/Guardian and School; or

(iii) The documentation of verbal consent, including the date and place, in the child’s school record.

(d) The school administrator or the administrator’s designee may only access immunization information in the IIS for a child who is currently attending or who has enrolled to attend the school in which the administrator is employed.

(e) The school administrator or the administrator’s designee shall complete an audit once during the year to ensure parental consent has been obtained using the forms and process established by the Department.

Section 9. IIS Access for Child Caring Facilities

(a) A child caring facility may enroll with the IIS in accordance with Chapter 5 of these rules for the purpose of obtaining documentation of immunization status in accordance with this chapter.

(b) The child caring facility administrator shall ensure that qualifying parental consent has been obtained and documented in the child’s record prior to the child caring facility administrator or the administrator’s designee accessing a child’s immunization record in the IIS.

(c) The following qualifies as documentation of parental consent under this section:

(i) A completed WDH Authorization to Release Health Records (F-011) form, found at https://health.wyo.gov/admin/privacy/ and made available by the Department upon request.

(d) A child caring facility administrator or the administrator’s designee may only access immunization information in the IIS for a child who is currently attending or who has enrolled to attend the child caring facility in which the administrator is employed.

(e) The child caring facility administrator or administrator’s designee shall complete an audit once during the year to ensure parental consent has been obtained using the forms and process established by the Department.