Lawmakers Want Texas to Release Each Schools Vaccine Opt-Out Rate

Some lawmakers in Texas think that parents should have the right to see the vaccine opt-out numbers for their kids school, and the idea is picking up steam.  Currently, the schools in the Lone Star state collect data about who is and who isn't up to date on the strongly-suggested-but-not-legally-required immunization schedule developed by generations of the finest doctors and scientists.

According to the Longview News-Journal, that information is often spotty at best - and what's worse, is only available to the public on a district to district basis.  That means, parents currently can't find out if the school their child or children attend has a high percentage of compliance or if they should send their kids to school in haz-mat suits.

Senate Bill 329 would change all of that.  The bill, introduced by Senator Kel Seliger, would reportedly make this essential information available to parents and include:

...exemption rates broken down by vaccine type, the number of students who have 'conscientious exemptions' — vaccine exemptions for personal or religious beliefs — and the number of students who have medical exemptions signed by doctors."

Critics argue that this system might expose a child without the proper vaccinations to undue treatment and bullying from their peers and staff members who might view them as a threat.  Proponents say that would be nearly impossible because current privacy laws would prevent that kind of discovery.  Currently the bill is considered "pending" while it is discussed in the Senate, no vote on the measure has yet been scheduled

In the midst of measles out-breaks and the threat of long-gone and quite deadly diseases returning, I believe this information is crucial for parents and should be freely available.