Religious and Philosophical Exemptions

On January 14, 2025, Governor Morrisey signed Executive Order 7-25 allowing for religious exemptions from compulsory school vaccines for K-12 public, private and parochial schools, and State-regulated child care centers. The West Virginia Department of Health does not oversee exemptions from the immunization requirements of other institutions including employers and colleges, universities, and vocational programs.

Parents of students may request a religious exemption by sending a signed letter to VaccineExemption@wv.gov, a dedicated email account established for receiving and processing exemption requests. Religious exemption requests will be reviewed in the order received and will be granted on a school year basis. Parents who have received an exemption during the 2024-2025 school year should renew their request for an exemption for the 2025-2026 school year.

Parents/guardians of the student requesting a religious exemption will receive a letter at their provided mailing address notifying them whether the request has been granted, and a copy of the exemption letter will be provided to the school where the student is to be enrolled.

In order for religious exemption requests to be processed, please include the following in the signed letter:

Name and date of birth of student requesting religious exemption
Name of parent/guardian of student
Name of school or childcare center parent/guardian intends to enroll student in
Mailing address of parent/guardian of student

NOTE: Letters shall include a wet signature. A wet signature is a signature made on a physical document with a pen, seal, or other identifying mark.