Effective January 1, 2024, Assembly Bill 659 (AB 659), or the Cancer Prevention Act, requires the governing authority of a private elementary or secondary school to provide to pupils and their parents/legal guardians upon each pupil’s admission or advancement to the sixth grade a written notification containing the following:
- A statement about the state’s public policy that pupils in California should adhere to current immunization guidelines, as recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Family Physicians, regarding full human papillomavirus (HPV) immunization before admission or advancement to the eighth grade level of any private elementary or secondary school;
- A statement, as determined by the California Department of Education, summarizing the recommended ages for the HPV vaccine and scientific rationale for vaccination at those ages, based on guidance issued by ACIP of the CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Family Physicians; and
- The following statement: “HPV vaccination can prevent over 90 percent of cancers caused by HPV. HPV vaccines are very safe, and scientific research shows that the benefits of HPV vaccination far outweigh the potential risks.”
The above requirements do not apply to a pupil in a home-based private school.
(As relevant to private K-12 schools, AB 659 adds Section 120336 to the Health and Safety Code.)
