Policy Statement on Vaccine Status of Students, Madrichim, and Staff
of Rockdale Temple Religious School and Youth Groups
2019-2020 / 5780
Background Statement
Until now, Rockdale Temple has not believed that a formal vaccination policy for Religious School was necessary due to required vaccinations for children in public schools. However, there have been recent outbreaks of measles and other preventable diseases caused by the lack of vaccinations. Specifically, the number of measles cases in the U.S. has reached its highest level in 25 years, with 1,022 total cases reported in the first six months of 2019 alone. The lack of vaccination presents a clear public health threat.
Families send their children to religious school, youth group, and Rockdale Temple programs and assume that their children will enjoy themselves, have positive social interactions, learn from the rich Jewish environment, and be safe and healthy. Safety and public health are priorities for all Union for Reform Judaism organizations, including Rockdale Temple. The vaccination of all members of the community is essential in order to maintain a safe environment and decrease the risk of transmission of preventable illnesses. The establishment of a safe environment must therefore include the requirement that all members of the Kehal Kodesh School of Rockdale Temple be adequately immunized against all of the preventable diseases as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
While parents may choose to defer the vaccination of their children, for the URJ and therefore Rockdale Temple, this is an issue of public health. The routine vaccination of all children and faculty in Kehal Kodesh School is an important public health matter for all, including vulnerable populations. In fact, the Central Conference of American Rabbis “endorses programs of compulsory immunization in our communities, with exemptions granted to those individuals whose medical conditions place them at particular risk of injury or untoward side effects. Aside from those individual cases, there are no valid Jewish religious grounds to support the refusal to immunize as a general principle.” (CCAR Responsa 5759.10.)
Given the overriding Jewish value that puts a premium on maintaining health, including taking preventive measures, along with the clear public health based need to protect the Rockdale Temple youth community as a whole, Rockdale Temple now requires that all children and staff involved in Rockdale Temple religious school and youth groups be immunized as explained below.
Vaccination Policy
Any individual who attends as a student, serves as a madrich/a/ol, and/or teaches in our Kehal Kodesh School (whether children or adults) must have up-to-date, age-appropriate vaccines as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC). If you have any questions about the required vaccinations, please contact Rockdale Temple.
Policy Exemptions
Rockdale Temple recognizes that individuals who have a documented allergy or severe adverse reaction to a particular vaccine will not be able to receive further doses of that individual vaccine. In addition, individuals with medical conditions such as congenital immunodeficiency or HIV, malignancies receiving chemotherapy, transplant patients and persons receiving immunosuppressive drugs and chronic steroids, will not be able to receive certain vaccines.
In these instances, a physician documenting the medical condition and exempting the child or adult from further doses of that specific vaccine must be furnished to Rockdale Temple. In addition, if an individual or his/her family believes that a specific situation poses extenuating circumstances, and furnishes a letter from a medical doctor (MD or OD) substantiating this belief, then Rockdale Temple will review the situation on a case-by-case basis and determine whether an exemption to the immunization policy can be made.
Under no circumstances will Rockdale Temple accept an ideological or other non-medical-based opposition towards vaccinations (in which a child could be vaccinated, but is not) as a policy exemption.
Vaccination Verification
Beginning in Summer 2019, and for all subsequent annual religious school registrations, Rockdale Temple requires families to verify that their child(ren) have received these vaccinations. This verification will be submitted as part of the online registration process. Families may also indicate that their student(s) is medically exempt from vaccinations – Rabbi Kahan will follow up with these families. Families are not asked to submit immunization forms or other medical records.
Adult teachers and teen madrichim are also required to be vaccinated. Rockdale Temple requires verification that the individual complies with the policy and that the individual’s immunizations are up to date.
*Rockdale Temple policy language taken from 2019 URJ Youth Policy Statement on Vaccination
