Support Ohio Legislation That Protects Vaccine Exemption Rights and Keeps Healthy Children in School!

Your URGENT action is needed TODAY!

Ohio lawmakers are considering legislation to strengthen enforcement of existing vaccine exemption rights for families and prevent healthy children from being excluded from school or childcare.

HB 561 requires K–12 schools, preschools, and childcare centers that impose vaccination requirements to honor Ohio’s current medical, religious, and conscientious exemptions and clearly notify parents of those rights.

The bill also creates a formal complaint and enforcement process when schools or childcare providers fail to comply. Programs that refuse to follow the law may face charter suspension or licensure penalties.

In addition, HB 561 removes the Hepatitis B vaccine requirement for daycare and preschool entry and prevents schools from excluding healthy, uninfected children during measles, mumps, rubella, or chickenpox outbreaks solely because they have an exemption on file.

HB 561 is scheduled for its second hearing in the House Health Committee on March 18, 2026.

Please act TODAY!

TAKE ACTION

HB 561 is scheduled for the second hearing, taking testimony from proponents, in the House Health Committee on Wednesday, 3/18/2026 at 10:00AM in Room 121.

View the hearing details and agenda HERE. Continue to contact the House Health Committee Members until a vote is taken. Sometimes a vote is not taken on the day of the hearing.

TESTIMONY INFO: If you plan to testify, you may submit your testimony through the Ohio House of Representatives website no later than 24 hours in advance of the scheduled meeting time. View the page to upload Testimony HERE.

Pursuant to House Rules, anyone wishing to testify must complete a witness form. Written format of your testimony is not required, but encouraged for assisting members and the public. Please indicate whether testimony is IN-PERSON or WRITTEN ONLY in your submission. All in-person testimony must be no more than 5 minutes in length. The Chair may reduce the amount of time to provide testimony based on the amount of testimony received. View the Witness Information From HERE.

Testimony submitted after the 24-hour deadline will not be accepted. Testimony should be uploaded as a PDF. For instructions on how to save a document as a PDF, use this link: HERE. Please upload all testimonies and witness forms using the online portal or by sending to the Chair’s office using OHRHealthCommittee@ohiohouse.gov.

Contact your State Representative and urge them to SUPPORT HB 561.

Find your Ohio legislators here:
https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislators/district-maps

Phone calls are most effective, but emails help too.

If you have experienced pressure, misinformation, or exclusion related to vaccine exemptions, consider sharing your story with lawmakers.

SAMPLE SCRIPT

“Hello, my name is ___ and I’m a constituent. I’m calling to urge Representative ___ to SUPPORT HB 561.

This bill ensures that schools and childcare centers follow Ohio’s existing vaccine exemption laws and clearly inform parents of their rights.

It also protects healthy children from being excluded from school during outbreaks simply because they have an exemption on file.

Families should be able to make medical decisions for their children without fear of penalties, discrimination, or disruption to their education.

Please support HB 561.

Thank you.”

TALKING POINTS

Exemption rights already exist — but are often not respected. Many Ohio families report being pressured, misled, or asked for unnecessary documentation when trying to exercise lawful vaccine exemptions.

Requiring schools and childcare programs to clearly notify parents of exemption options helps ensure families can make voluntary and informed medical decisions.

Healthy children should not lose access to education. Excluding uninfected students during outbreaks can disrupt learning, create stigma, and place unnecessary burdens on families.

Establishing a complaint process and meaningful penalties helps ensure that institutions follow existing statutes rather than creating their own policies.

Medical decisions should be individualized. Children differ in health status, risk factors, and family beliefs — one-size-fits-all policies fail to recognize these differences.

Removing the Hepatitis B daycare requirement allows more thoughtful decision-making. Parents gain additional time to weigh risks and benefits and consult with trusted healthcare providers.