(a) The Mayor shall:
(1) By January 1, 2009, consistent with the standards set forth by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”), establish and implement a HPV vaccination program that includes a requirement that the Department of Health disseminate to all parents or legal guardians information about HPV, including the benefits and risks of the HPV vaccine;
(2) Require all communications from the Department of Health on the HPV vaccination program to prominently feature information pertaining to the ability of parents or guardians to opt out of the program;
(3) Extend, by rulemaking, the HPV vaccination program requirements to males, consistent with standards set forth by the CDC; and
(4) Require the Department of Health to develop reporting requirements for the collection and analyzation of HPV vaccination data.
(b)(1) By the beginning of the 2009 school year, and of every school year thereafter, the parent or legal guardian of a female child enrolling in grade 6 for the first time at a school in the District of Columbia shall be required to submit certification:
(A) That the child has received the HPV vaccine; or
(B) That the child has not received the HPV vaccine because:
(i) The parent or legal guardian has objected in good faith and in writing to the chief official of the school that the vaccination would violate his or her religious beliefs;
(ii) The child’s private physician, his or her representative, or the public health authority has provided the school written certification that the vaccination is medically inadvisable; or
(iii) The parent or legal guardian, in his or her discretion, has elected to opt out of the HPV vaccination program, for any reason, by signing a form prepared by the Department of Health that states the parent or legal guardian has been informed of the HPV vaccination requirement and has elected not to participate.
(2) The form, provided pursuant to paragraph (1)(B)(iii) of this subsection, shall include the parent or legal guardian’s name, address, and telephone number and the name of the child. The form shall be available in English, Spanish, and any other language that the Mayor considers culturally appropriate.
(July 12, 2007, D.C. Law 17-10, § 5, 54 DCR 5146.)