MARYLAND: Click now to say no to school health centers that remove you from your child’s health care

Our Stand: At-A-Glance

• SB628 creates and provides funding for school-based health centers, forces compliance with the federal Vaccines for Children program (even when the details of that federal program change), sets a goal to have a minimum of one school-based health center per county, and provides no guardrails to protect parental rights, informed consent, or the fabric of the family. 
• It’s inappropriate to require school health care centers to build infrastructure to implement the CDC’s Vaccines for Children program. Instead, children must receive vaccines in a setting where each child’s primary care provider or other qualified health care provider can assess the child’s medical history, accompanied by and in cooperation with the child’s parent or guardian.
• It’s dangerous and inappropriate to implement a one-size-fits-all mass-vaccination infrastructure to circumvent the process of parental informed consent. Administering vaccines – like any health care intervention which is invasive, irreversible, and known to cause adverse reactions in some at-risk patients – is not appropriate in school health care settings without parents or guardians present. Children can receive free health care services, including free vaccines, through existing health care infrastructure where parents and guardians are present. Taxpayers already support public health agencies which also provide free or reduced-cost vaccines for children.
• The CDC ACIP Committee has recommended adding COVID-19 vaccines to the routine immunization schedule for children 18 and under declaring that “benefits outweigh risks,” despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. CDC federal programs promoting mass vaccination of children without sufficient evidence of safety and efficacy must not be linked with or required by public schools funded by state tax dollars.
• Informed Choice Maryland is working with senators to try to amend the bill to protect parental rights, informed consent, and family involvement in our children’s health care. 
• Please take action today by asking the Senate Finance Committee members to vote NO on this bill, or amend it to address the concerns presented by Informed Choice Maryland leaders.