§ 44-29-180 — School pupils and day care center children to be vaccinated or immunized; department to monitor immunization records of children in day care; exemptions and exclusions.

(A) No superintendent of an institution of learning, no school board or principal of a school, and no owner or operator of a public or private childcare facility as defined in Section 63-13-20 may admit as a pupil or enroll or retain a child or person who cannot produce satisfactory evidence of having been vaccinated or immunized so often as directed by the Department of Health and Environmental Control. Records of vaccinations or immunizations must be maintained by the institution, school, or day care facility to which the child or person has been admitted. (B) The Department of Health and Environmental Control shall monitor the immunization status of each child who is enrolled or retained in a licensed child day care facility or a registered church or religious child day care facility. The monitoring of day care facilities shall consist of a review of the immunization or vaccination records to insure that required immunizations are complete as recommended and routinely provided by the Department of Health and Environmental Control for all infants and children. (C) South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control Regulation 61-8, as amended, "Vaccination, Screening and Immunization Regarding Contagious Diseases", and its exemptions apply to this section. (D) A South Carolina Certificate of Special Exemption signed by the school principal, authorized representative, or day care director may be issued to transfer students while awaiting arrival of medical records from their former area of residence or to other students who have been unable to secure immunizations or documentation of immunizations already received. A South Carolina Certificate of Special Exemption may be issued only once and is valid for only thirty calendar days from date of enrollment. At the expiration of this special exemption, the student must present a valid South Carolina Certificate of Immunization, a valid South Carolina Certificate of Medical Exemption, or a valid South Carolina Certificate of Religious Exemption. (E) Registered family day care homes are exempt from requirements of this section.

Legislative History

HISTORY: 1962 Code SECTION 32-694; 1952 Code SECTION 32-694; 1942 Code SECTION 5040; 1932 Code SECTIONS 5012, 7363; Civ. C. '22 SECTIONS 2323, 4495; Civ. C. '12 SECTIONS 1582, 3061; 1905 (24) 869, 871; 1972 (57) 2767; 1993 Act No. 35, SECTION 1.