State Board adopts Pugh resolution on vaccine waivers after amendment, tabling attempts fail

The State Board of Education voted to adopt a resolution offered by Dr. Pugh concerning how vaccine waiver procedures are implemented, after rejecting a proposed amendment and a separate motion to table. The board recorded mixed votes on both procedural and substantive items before approving the resolution.

Board members first considered an amendment offered by Tom that some members questioned as unnecessary or cumbersome. After debate over whether the amendment should be treated as a friendly change, the roll‑call on the amendment resulted in five votes against and three in favor; the amendment failed. A subsequent motion to table the resolution, moved by Miss Snyder and seconded by Mr. McMillan, also failed on a roll call.

During debate, Mr. McNamara contested the way the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) had been used to implement waiver procedures. Citing the text of Michigan Compiled Laws, he said a parent may present a written statement to a school or program administrator to claim an exemption and argued that the county‑office requirement in the current rule is not supported by the statute. "So it the rule is, it's against it's against the law," he said, urging that manufacturer risk information be distributed to parents when counties ask for acknowledgements.

An unnamed board member explained the role of JCAR in administrative rulemaking, stating that the committee "is our state body that promulgates administrative rules" to flesh out statutory requirements under the Administrative Procedures Act.

Miss Snyder, who proposed tabling to allow fuller discussion of implementation details, asked why the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) had not made the waiver process more accessible and said in‑person education requirements can be "cumbersome," especially for families with more than one special‑needs child. "Why are they not educating on not just risks, but benefits and the full conversation?" she asked.

When the board took the final roll call on Dr. Pugh's resolution, the votes were Bullock Yes, Lipton Yes, McMillan No, Pritchett Yes, Pugh Yes, Robinson Yes, Snyder No and Anne Tilley Yes. The chair declared the motion carried.

The resolution text and specific implementation instructions were described during the meeting as "offered as presented"; the transcript records the passage of the resolution but does not include the full printed text of the measure on the record. The board did not adopt the failed amendment, and the tabling motion did not pass. The resolution's adoption means the board formally recorded its position on the implementation approach described by Dr. Pugh, and the discussion highlighted disputes over statutory interpretation and whether counties should require in‑person actions by parents.

Next steps noted in the meeting: there was no recorded amendment substituting different implementation language, and members who expressed concern urged follow‑up conversations with MDHHS and staff to clarify access and materials provided to parents.