The Pennsylvania Department of Health has issued a 502-page proposed regulation titled “Communicable and Noncommunicable Diseases.” Members of the public have until September 21 to file a comment.
It is important to note that nothing in this proposed regulation would apply specifically to homeschooling families or change Pennsylvania’s robust statute that provides a religious exemption to immunizations. It also does not change the Pennsylvania regulation that broadened the religious exemption statute to include a “strong moral or ethical conviction similar to a religious belief.”
However, numerous provisions in the proposed regulation would increase the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s power in the event of a communicable disease outbreak or a pandemic. Many of the provisions in the proposed regulation resemble government actions which were hotly debated nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
As Pennsylvania homeschooling families, you know that school districts demanding medical information from families has been a major concern in recent years. We have previously written about this issue.
Privacy Concerns
And this year the number one reason HSLDA members from Pennsylvania have contacted us is because of local school districts demanding their children’s immunization information. We take this proposed regulation seriously because it could be a precursor to other regulations which may more directly affect homeschooling families in Pennsylvania.
The proposed regulation from Pennsylvania Department of Health has drawn a host of criticism. You can read several news stories here:
- WGAL: Pennsylvania Health Regulation Rewrite Draws GOP Concerns over Possible COVID-Era Powers
- Lancaster Online: Lawmakers Say Proposed Department of Health Regulations Pose Privacy Concerns
- Yahoo: Department of Health Attempts to Expand Power Around Communicable Diseases
- Pennsylvania Coalition for Informed Consent (PCIC): Facebook post
Standing for Freedom
At HSLDA, we respect the fact that homeschool families have strong views on the best ways to keep their children safe and healthy. We believe that loving parents, in consultation with their trusted health care and medical providers, are best equipped to make these decisions for their children. Not government bureaucrats, whether they are located in Harrisburg or Washington, DC.
We encourage you to review the proposed regulation for yourself and, if desired, submit a comment sharing your views with the Pennsylvania Department of Health. You can submit a comment via email to RA-DHCHAPTR27PROPREG@pa.gov. Please make sure to put “Proposed Rulemaking 10-242 (communicable and noncommunicable diseases)” in the subject line of your email.
As a homeschool graduate from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as well as a homeschool dad, vigorously defending the freedom of homeschool families is personal to me.