Exemptions: Pitfalls to Avoid

My suggestions and tips for college students

The University of California is pushing everyone to become a human pincushion. I spent most of my career working there, so I know the system inside and out. As a director of teacher education programs, I ran ESL teacher training and professional development programs for K-12 teachers. Though I never taught in K-12 classrooms in the U.S., I did teach freshman and senior English in Morocco before deciding to focus on adult education for the remainder of my career.

Recently, I've been hearing from California parents seeking help to navigate the University of California's vaccination requirements for their college-bound children. I've discussed this before, but with a new document released in 2024, it's time to revisit the topic.

I’ll break down this process for you, simplify it, clarify it, and share the pitfalls to avoid—whether or not you live in California or have a child heading to college, this information could be relevant to you. This kind of hogwash is likely to be imposed on us again, so it's crucial to understand how to advocate for your rights.

After retiring from the UC system, I taught at community colleges. I loved teaching ESL, especially to students who were working hard to improve their lives. Many of them were juggling multiple jobs while attending night classes, driven by a desire to give their children a better future. Then, everything shut down in California, drying up those classes. I was asked to teach online, which I did for one semester, but then, suddenly, I stopped receiving contracts. I was a contract employee, and although I wasn’t officially fired, I believe the efforts to get me fired by some in Orange County played a role in this situation.

The college and university systems are incredibly liberal, and I remember telling my husband that if they ever required me to get vaccinated, that would be the final straw—I would walk away and never comply (this was long before the current madness).

I mention all of my background because I’ve been in the system, I know it well, and I want to share my insights to help parents who are concerned about their children going off to college, especially in California.

I recently received an email from a mom whose child is attending school in California, and she had concerns about religious exemptions for vaccines.

This mom was worried because, unlike the experimental cooties vaccines, many of the other vaccines have been around for years and are “FDA-approved.” She wondered if her son could claim a religious exemption, but she was unsure how to justify this stance for the regular vaccines, as they have been widely accepted and approved.

Here's the simple truth:

When it comes to religious beliefs, none of the FDA approvals, side effects, or ingredients matter.

What matters is that God has told you not to participate in these practices.

Your religious beliefs are protected under civil rights laws, and you have the right to object to anything that violates your religious, ethical, or moral beliefs.

For those who've previously participated in these vaccinations, you can still stand firm in your belief by stating that, after prayer and reflection, God has told you not to do it again. The focus should always be on your sincere, individual religious beliefs—nothing else matters. Avoid getting caught up in discussions about science or FDA approvals; those are not relevant to a religious exemption.

So, here's the issue: how do you present your beliefs?

This mom wrote in, already discussing science, medicine, and ingredients. But those aren't religious grounds. Now, back in the day, I might have said objecting based on ingredients was a sure win. If you and your beliefs say you can’t engage with anything tied to abortion, it's a slam dunk.

But what do you do when they say, “Oh no, these weren’t derived from aborted cells,” and they’ve got a pill, a patch, and a spray? None of these are injected—what now?

Well, I’ve got the answer, and it’s simple.

What you need to do is pray.

Pray for God to guide your conscience, spirit, and soul. I believe God has used this situation to deepen people’s faith because many didn’t know how to express their objections. They knew they didn’t want to do it, and that belief, stemming from their God-given conscience, is the Holy Spirit telling them not to participate. That right is protected, even in California.

When it comes to K-12 schools, some folks do get religious exemptions, but the ignorance in California makes it tough to fight back. My question is, why fight so hard to put your child in a system that feels like a prison when you could use that energy to create superior learning alternatives?

And for college? It’s not the be-all and end-all, but you have the right to attend if you want to. You shouldn’t be denied that right based on your religious beliefs—those are civil rights.

It’s not about being vaccinated or unvaccinated; it’s about God telling you not to do it, and you have the right to follow that.

Don’t let the conversation drift into FDA approvals or safety. None of that matters. What matters is God told you not to do it, period.

The actual slam dunk? God objects to this practice. Take it up with Him.

You don’t have to prove it’s harmful, safe, effective, or ineffective. For those who’ve been a human pincushion in the past, it’s acceptable to simply state: you’ve prayed about it, and God told you to stop. That’s your answer.

FDA approval? Irrelevant. What’s in it? Doesn’t matter. What matters is you prayed, and God said no.

Other people don’t need to understand your beliefs or even agree with them.

It should be as simple as checking a box. You shouldn’t need to provide paperwork, affidavits, or church doctrine. The church isn’t applying for the exemption—the individual is. The law states it’s your individual, sincerely held religious belief. It doesn’t need to be consistent, logical, or agreeable to anyone.

The pitfalls? Veering off into science, FDA approval, or side effects—none of that relates to a religious belief. You can get a medical exemption if you want. Let me show you what the University of California says as of 2024:

This is from the University of California, 2024: “…exceptions may be premised on a medical exemption, disability, and/or religious objection.”

Case closed—it’s right there in black and white.

You have the right to a religious exemption, and I just told you how to get it.

Notice they don’t call it an exemption—they call it an exception. This is a topic for another day, but in short: The issue with the terms "exception" vs. "exemption" is that they imply different things. An "exemption" means you are not subject to a requirement at all, like being in a wheelchair exempts you from taking the stairs. An "exception," on the other hand, implies the rule still applies, but you’re being allowed not to follow it this time. While the end result might be the same—you don’t have to get jabbed—the language used matters, especially since the law specifically uses "exemption," which is more protective of individual rights.

Interestingly, these requirements aren’t applied to the staff—just students. How does that keep everyone “safe?” 😂

Students get the full pincushion treatment—Hepatitis B, HPV, measles, mumps, rubella, meningitis, tetanus, pertussis, chickenpox, and the flu. If that’s not a human dartboard lineup, I’m not sure what is. When I was teaching, staff didn’t have to roll up their sleeves, and guess what? They still don’t. How’s that for equity and inclusion?

Think about K-12 schools where they removed the personal or religious objection, which is illegal. People are still fighting it. But think about it: if someone gets a medical exemption, how does that make sense? Does the disease know the difference between a medical and religious exemption? The logic isn’t there, and it never will be.

And remember, you are not ASKING for anything, you are INFORMING them of your status, just like you would INFORM your employer if your car broke down and you couldn't come to work. You are EDUCATING them on your rights.

I’m grateful for this mom and her desire to keep her son safe, and I’m grateful the son wants to follow God’s will for his life.

If you’ve already had certain jabs, all you say is, “I did it in the past, but going forward, I’m not participating because God objects.” You don’t need to prove anything—FDA, safety, none of it matters. These are sincerely held religious beliefs protected by law.

Thank you, everyone, for being on board and marching with me all the way to heaven.

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