HI SB1437

Eliminates the religious exemption from school immunization requirements, allowing only medical exemptions certified by a licensed physician, physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse

Grandfathers students who had an approved religious exemption for the 2024-2025 school year, allowing them to remain exempt while continuing to attend school in Hawaii

Protects students with individualized education programs (IEPs) from being denied special education services due to immunization status

Removes language from Department of Health statutes that previously allowed parents to object to school children's vaccinations based on religious tenets of an established church

Addresses rising non-medical exemption rates, which increased from 2.5% in 2015-2016 to 5.3% in 2023-2024, with 55 of 382 schools exceeding 10% non-medical exemption rates