School Immunization Program (SIP)

The School Immunization Program aims to lower the risk of vaccine-preventable disease (VPD) in early childhood and school-age populations.

School Immunization Program (SIP)

About the program

The leading way to achieve a lower risk of vaccine-preventable diseases is through children receiving the required childhood and adolescent vaccines. The SIP provides education, support, and consultation to local families, programs, and schools to achieve and maintain childhood and adolescent immunization rates at 95% or higher.

The SIP works in collaboration with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and the Michigan Childhood Improvement Registry (MCIR) in meeting or exceeding immunization requirements.

Parents/Guardians

Waivers

Failure to meet vaccine or waiver requirements, as set by the Public Health Code, requires the school principal, administrator, or program director to exclude a child from the school or program attendance.

Nonmedical immunization waiver

The nonmedical paper waiver form has been replaced with an electronic form that is added by the Local Health Department to the child’s Michigan Care Improvement Registry (MCIR) record. The parent/guardian signs the form electronically, in person, or by typing their name into the signature field. The parent/guardian no longer needs to deliver the waiver to their child’s school or child care. Personal information is protected, confidential, and can only be seen by authorized entities.

For families that reside in or attend Macomb County schools or programs, the waiver education can be completed online at https://macomb.miwaiv.com/. Once the online education is complete, please call the School Immunization Program to schedule an appointment for the in-person certification of the electronic waiver.

Waiver certification is by appointment only and provided at the Macomb County Health Department located in Mount Clemens (43525 Elizabeth Road, Mount Clemens, MI 48043). To schedule an appointment for nonmedical waiver certification services, please call the School Immunization Program at 586-466-6840 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except holidays.

Review before the Waiver Education Session:

If you Choose Not to Vaccinate Your Child

Parent/Guardian instructions

Electronic waivers

  • Parent/guardian no longer has to keep or deliver the waiver to the school/childcare.
  • School/childcare will have immediate access to the electronic waiver obtained at the local health department.

Paper waivers

  • Paper waivers are NOT entered into the MCIR system.
  • Parent/legal guardian MUST deliver the paper waiver form to the school or childcare.
  • Paper non-medical waivers are invalid if:
    • Form is not obtained from a State of Michigan Local Health Department.
    • Form has been altered by adding and/or crossing out words or boxes; schools/childcares will not accept altered waivers.
  • Lost paper non-medical waiver
    • Parent/legal guardian who received the education and obtained the original waiver is the only person who can obtain a replacement copy- unless a Client Disclosure Authorization Form is completed, consenting to share health information with others.
    • An appointment must be made to pick up a copy of the waiver, and the parent/legal guardian (or the named person on the Client Disclosure Authorization form) must bring identification to the scheduled appointment to obtain a copy of the paper waiver.

Exclusion

  • Your child may be excluded from the school/childcare if an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease for which they have a vaccine exemption occurs.
  • Exclusion can last for days, weeks, or months to control the outbreak, as determined by the local health department Medical Director.

Future

  • International travel can lead to exposure to vaccine-preventable diseases.
  • Some occupations require proof of vaccination or laboratory evidence of immunity.
  • Certain vaccine-preventable diseases are more common to strike in young adulthood and/or run a greater risk of complications.
  • During reproductive years, non-immune females can pass serious, life-threatening vaccine-preventable diseases to their baby during pregnancy or after delivery.
  • Unvaccinated sexual partners can transmit certain vaccine-preventable diseases that can lead to chronic medical conditions or cancer.

Cannot get the vaccine for medical purposes?

For children who cannot receive vaccines for a valid medical contraindication, a Medical Contraindication Form completed by the child's M.D. or D.O. must be given directly to the school or program office for submission to the Health Department. The Macomb County Health Department Medical Director reviews all medical waivers.
Requirements and resources for parents

School/Child Care Requirements and Resources for Parents

Dear Parent/Guardian:

To enroll your child in a preschool, childcare or school, the State of Michigan requires children to be fully vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, polio, hepatitis B, and varicella.

In addition, pneumococcal conjugate and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccines are required for preschool-aged children, and meningococcal conjugate and Tdap vaccines are required for children who are 11 years of age or older upon entry into 7th grade or higher, or newly enrolled in the district.

Parents/Guardians must provide the preschool/childcare/school proof of the above vaccinations and/or valid exemptions.

The following resources are options to obtain the required vaccinations:

Non-Medical Immunization Exemption

  • Obtained for religious or other exemption(s) to vaccine(s).
  • Requires education and certification done in person at the Mount Clemens Health Department location, 43525 Elizabeth Rd., Mt. Clemens, MI 48043.
  • Call the School Immunization Program for an appointment.
  • Walk-ins are not accepted.
  • Issued electronically and entered into the student’s MCIR record, parents/guardians no longer required to submit a paper copy of this non-medical exemption to the school.

Medical Exemption

  • Can only be completed by a physician (MD/DO).
  • States the medical reason that prevents the child from receiving a specific vaccine(s) for a specific time.
  • Once completed by a physician, it must be turned into the school by the parent/guardian.

 

Please note: Even with a valid exemption to a particular vaccination, a child is considered susceptible to that vaccine-preventable disease and is subject to exclusion from the school if an outbreak of the disease occurs.

Schools and child care centers

MCIR resources
Important dates and resources

SIP contact information:

Call: 586-466-6840
Email: sip@macombgov.org
Fax: 586-466-6953
Compliance rates for immunization status reporting

View countywide immunization compliance rate totals for school districts and child care centers.
Public Health Code and MCIR reporting

Macomb County has approximately 567 child care and school sites, and collectively, the MCHD School Immunization Program (SIP) and school staff must review the immunization records of approximately 45,000 children each year. The MCIR system is used by the school staff to complete and send their site’s immunization report to the SIP.

School districts/charter academies/private schools must have a completed, waived, or provisional immunization record (compliance) for at least 90% of their students for the MCIR November IP-100 report, and 95% compliance for the February IP-100 report.

Early childhood programs must have an immunization compliance record for at least 90% of their students for the MCIR October IP-101 report.

In Michigan, all children who enroll in and attend the following programs and schools are required by law to be vaccinated in accordance with the Michigan Public Health Code Act 368 of 1978 Part 92 Immunizations. The entities include:

  • Licensed childcare centers
  • Head Start programs
  • Preschool programs
  • Public, private, charter academies, special education, alternative education, adult education, homeschool partnerships, and virtual schools enrolling kindergarten through 12th-grade students.

For programs and schools to complete their reporting, parents, legal guardians, foreign exchange students’ host families, or 18-year-old students must present a written immunization record indicating the current vaccine status of the child to the program or school. All required vaccines are needed for continued school or program attendance.

Also required by the Public Health Code, all early childhood programs licensed by the MDHHS and school-age programs registered by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE), are required to report the immunization status of specific student populations. These populations include:

  • Newly enrolled in a childcare center, Head Start, or preschool program
  • All kindergarten, including developmental kindergarten students
  • All 7th-grade students
  • All students who enroll as new-to-district entrants in grades 1-6 and 8-12 through 18 years of age
Macomb County is committed to ensuring equal access to its programs, services and activities in accordance with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If you experience difficulty accessing content or need information in an alternative format, please contact websupport@macombgov.org.

Contact School Immunization Program