Permitting religious exemptions for compulsory immunizations

HB 4073 would add religious exemptions to West Virginia's school immunization requirements, allowing parents to exempt their children from mandatory vaccines (chickenpox, measles, polio, etc.) based on religious beliefs. To qualify, parents must submit a notarized "Certificate of Religious Exemption Form" to the school, which the state commissioner would review. The bill does not change the required vaccines or medical exemption process, but explicitly adds religious exemptions to the existing framework. This directly affects school-age children, parents seeking exemptions, and schools verifying immunization status for enrollment.