Sec. 275i.
(1) If a public university that receives an appropriation in section 236 establishes a mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy, it shall provide exemptions to that policy to the following students:
(a) Any student for whom a physician certifies that a COVID-19 vaccine is or may be detrimental to the student's health or is not appropriate.
(b) Any student who provides a written statement to the effect that the requirements of the COVID-19 vaccine policy cannot be met because of religious convictions or other consistently held objection to immunization.
(2) It must be presumed that a student who requests an exemption under subsection (1) is entitled to that exemption. The public university shall grant that student's request unless it determines by clear and convincing evidence that the student is not entitled to that exemption.
(3) A public university shall not deny a student's request for an exemption until it has exhausted every reasonable accommodation.
(4) If a public university denies a student's request for an exemption, the public university shall issue a report fully explaining its reasons for the denial. That report must describe all reasonable accommodations the public university offered the student and the student's response.
(5) Every public university shall submit a written report regarding its actions taken under this section no later than March 15 of each year to the senate and house appropriations subcommittees on higher education, the senate and house fiscal agencies, and the state budget director. This annual report must include the following information, which may be obtained from any reliable source that complies with applicable laws regarding student privacy:
(a) The number of students who have requested an exemption from the public university's COVID-19 vaccine policy.
(b) The number of students who have been granted an exemption.
History: Add. 2020, Act 165, Eff. Oct. 1, 2020 ;-- Am. 2021, Act 86, Eff. Oct. 1, 2021