1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I am a member of Indivisible Westside Los Angeles. Please tackle a growing problem facing Californians-- the policy loopholes that allow school-aged children enrolled in programs like independent study and homeschool, online and virtual charters to avoid state vaccination requirements. Please write legislation that will appropriately amend SB 277 to mandate children in these learning environments be vaccinated along with their peers. The law currently allows parents to skip immunizations for children who are enrolled in independent study programs and do not “receive classroom-based instruction,” but that term is undefined in the legislation and many students enrolled in these programs are in fact attending in-person learning. The U.S. is in the midst of the largest measles outbreak in six years, with 800 cases and three deaths reported in 25 states, including nine cases in California. With overall vaccination numbers in decline, and people exploiting vaguely worded legislation, we need to act now to prevent possibly catastrophic mass illness. While CA has some of the highest vaccination rates, we can and must do better. Thank you for your time and attention.