SB163 is elitist, discriminatory legislation that should have never passed. Black Community leaders were (once again) ignored. And neither the state’s educational institutions nor religious leaders were ever notified. Two Democratic Senators who were planning to vote “No” and kill the bill in committee were strong-armed by Democratic Leadership to vote “yes”. After the hearing, all one of the Senators could say was, “We were under a lot of pressure”. After the COVID recess, the House Committee, held their Hearing on a Sunday! Pastors and members of the faith community were prepared to testify but were unable to do so. SB163 allows homeschool families to avoid the forms, re-education, data tracking, and vaccine requirements SB163 mandates. Families that can afford to homeschool, typically middle-to-upper class and white, get one set of laws. Those who cannot afford to homeschool get a different, more restrictive law. Parents will not comply with SB163. Rather than subject their children to coercion, data tracking, and bullying, they will pull their children out of public schools. Each child represents approximately $10,000 of lost funding. This will create a $260 MILLION financial crisis for Colorado schools. Black families are particularly concerned about SB163. The CDC destroyed evidence that black boys are 3.36 times more likely to develop autism. An estimated 156,000 African American children might have been spared debilitating neurological injury if only the CDC had told the truth. As our whole country now (finally) seems willing to engage in a meaningful conversation about race and equity, this is certainly not the time to make laws which are blatantly discriminatory. SB163 will limit the freedom of citizens to refuse even ONE SHOT. This bill authorizes intrusive data tracking and paves the way for forced, experimental COVID vaccines. Signing SB163 would be an admission that you and the Democratic Party really do not care about public school funding, Black lives, or social equity. SB163 must be vetoed.

2.6% of Colorado’s child population is a minority, but you cannot tell them by the color of their skin or by the accent in their voices. The only way you would know who they are is by viewing their private health information. And like other children whose medical information puts them in a minority group, that information is protected by FERPA. Who is this 2.6%? They are children who cannot be vaccinated. Many of those children have experienced an adverse reaction or have a family medical history which puts them at risk. Some of those children practice religions which prohibit them from being vaccinated. Still other children have an ideological belief that is opposed to vaccination. What all of these children have in common is that they have informed, loving parents who choose to exempt from one or more vaccines. SB163 is blatant discrimination against this minority group of innocent children. Instead of respecting individual rights, SB163 unashamedly creates a second class of child: those who are undeserving of FERPA, those who need to be re-educated, tracked, monitored. This discriminatory legislation puts a target on the backs of innocent children, forcing their parents to make an impossible choice: their child’s education or their child’s safety. That is not a choice! And so, here we are, with 2.6% of Colorado parents facing a new choice. They are choosing to withdraw their children from public schools and homeschool. Why? Because those parents still hold their religious and personal beliefs, and SB163 will not change their minds. Please, Governor Polis, do what is right. Veto SB163. Keep children where they belong: in loving school environments which respect their differences and honor their privacy.

Governor Polis needs to VETO Senate Bill 20-163! SB163 is heavy-handed legislation that has an easy alternate solution to avoid vaccine coercion targeting a minority of families who exempt from one or more vaccines. Choose Compliance over Coercion. CDPHE reports that up to 20% of students do not submit vaccine paperwork to schools. A mandatory medical education module aimed at 2.6% of students who use a religious or philosophical belief exemption is missing the target. Honor True Stakeholder Engagement. Black Community leaders, religious leaders, school administrators, and parents of vaccine injured children were not invited to stakeholder process prior to drafting this bill to explain the adverse effects. This bill only reflects the will of medical association lobbyists. Protect Schools from an exodus. Parents reject re-education and state registry tracking. They will withdraw up to 26,000 students and $260 million in funding. Protect Students from Bullying. Students who cannot afford to homeschool will be bullied by their peers for their vaccine status publicized at schools. This will be especially true at small schools. Protect Minority Groups. Black and Latino families will be disproportionately affected by SB163. This is a time to show sensitivity and caution about bills which are discriminatory. Protect Homeschools. Homeschoolers lose enrichment programs. Public schools will also lose funding for these programs. Protect Special Education Students. Many vaccine-injured students are enrolled in special-education and will lose services when withdrawn. We will not comply with SB163. Rather than subject our children to coercion and state tracking, parents will pull our children out of public schools. Our healthy children who have a Constitutional right to a free and public education. Veto SB163 and dedicate time to understanding vaccine hesitancy per your Executive Order. The citizens mentioned above deserve a seat at the table.

Thousands of Coloradan citizens demand that you VETO SB20-163! SB-163 is heavy-handed, unnecessary legislation. There are easy alternatives to coercion that targets a minority of families who exempt from one or more vaccines. CDPHE reports up to 20% of students do not submit vaccine paperwork to schools. Instead of requiring paperwork compliance, CDPHE chose coercion. A mandatory medical education module aimed at 2.6% of students who use a religious or philosophical belief exemption misses the target and will be waste of time and money. This bill had ZERO stakeholder involvement and only reflects the will of 60 medical association lobbyists who pushed it. Black Community leaders, religious leaders, school administrators, and parents of vaccine injured children were not invited to any stakeholder meetings prior to drafting this bill. What the state needs is protection for: Schools from an Exodus. Parents will reject a re-education program and state registry tracking. Rather, they will withdraw up to 26,000 students resulting in a $260 million loss in school funding. Students from Bullying. The CIIS database lacks security. It is a super highway to students to be bullied by their peers for their vaccine status. Minority Groups. Black and Latino families will be disproportionately affected by SB163. Homeschoolers. Enrichment programs will be left behind and public schools will lose funding for these programs as well. Special Education Students. Many vaccine-injured students are enrolled in special-education and will lose services when withdrawn. Rather than subject their children to coercion and state tracking, parents will pull their children out of public schools. These are healthy children who have a Constitutional right to a free and public education. Governor Polis, veto SB163. And please, per your Executive Order, dedicate some time to understanding vaccine hesitancy. The groups mentioned above deserve a seat at the table.

Concerned citizens of Colorado request that you veto SB163. The stated purpose of SB163 is to increase vaccination rates. However, the bill does nothing to accomplish that goal. Reclassifying religious and personal beliefs as “non-medical” does not increase vaccination rates. It does insult people of faith. Re-educating informed parents does not increase vaccination rates. It does insult their intelligence and capability to make informed decisions for their children. Reallocating control of student health information to a government entity, circumventing FERPA, does not increase vaccination rates. It does foster greater distrust in government. Requiring a medical professional to validate a parent’s “non-medical” beliefs does not increase vaccination rates. It does require the medical professional to work outside their scope of practice. Relinquishing oversight of the vaccination schedule to CDPHE does not increase vaccination rates. It does rather increase exemption rates because as controversial vaccines are added to the schedule, parents who object to a single dose will be forced to exempt. Disparaging a minority group of innocent children does not increase vaccination rates. It does motivate parents to withdraw their children from public schools. If SB163 cannot increase vaccination rates, what is the purpose of this bill? There is only one way forward. Veto SB163.