Urged on by leukemia survivor Rhett Krawitt, 7, and California Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, the Reed Union School District board voted Tuesday to support legislation ending personal belief vaccine exemptions in the state.

The young Reed Elementary School student’s story captured the national imagination as measles spread across the country last month after an outbreak at Disneyland. Because Krawitt’s immune system is compromised, he can’t be vaccinated and must depend on herd immunity to stay well.

“For three and a half years I took chemo to get the bad guys out,” said Krawitt, standing on a chair to reach the microphone and addressing the five board members and a rapt audience of parents and teachers.

“Now I can say, ‘Gone, cancer!’ Thank you, Reed Union School District School Board, for teaching science and making everybody get vaccinated unless they are doing chemo like I did. Soon we will say, ‘Gone, measles!’” Krawitt said, to rousing applause.

Legislation by Pan is on track to be formally introduced in the California Legislature next week and would end the “personal belief exemption,” which allows parents to opt out of vaccinating their children. The issue of opting out from immunization is especially prominent in Marin because 6.45 percent of the county’s kindergartners are not fully vaccinated, according to the state Department of Public Health.

107 cases in state

As of Monday, there were 107 cases of measles in California, according to the health department. There are two cases in Marin.

Exemptions for children like Krawitt would continue in place under Pan’s proposed legislation, but parents wouldn’t be able to skip immunizing their children based on their opposition to vaccines.

“It’s a challenge to follow you,” the senator said to laughter as he succeeded Krawitt at the microphone.

“We want to be sure we raise the immunization rate high enough so we protect children like Rhett and others. They depend on the rest of us to make sure the disease cannot reach them,” Pan said.

“Parents are calling my office saying, ‘Please do something about this. I don’t want to have to worry about taking my children to the store or an amusement park,” Pan said.

Assemblyman Marc Levine also spoke, saying, “People in our community look to our school boards for direction on how to protect our children. I am encouraged by the resolution in front of you.”

Several parents and members of the community spoke in favor of the resolution.

“I’m a nurse practitioner. I agree with the Krawitt family and want to support them,” one speaker said.

Other opinions were voiced as well.

“I am a health care worker,” said John Mini of Tiburon, an acupuncturist with a degree from the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in San Francisco.

“Even though the numbers may look good for vaccinations, you never know which child is going to be harmed by vaccination. It’s not safe for all children,” Mini said. Mini said he has had his own child vaccinated for pertussis (whooping cough).

Part of mission

After the public weighed in, the board members had their say.

“As a parent I make the choice to vaccinate my children. As a school board trustee, I support broad vaccines as a way to support our mission, which is education,” said Board Member A.J. Brady. He added, “But Reed is a bizarre place to have this debate. We have no measles here. We also have microscopic personal belief exemptions.”

Reed Union Superintendent Steven Herzog said that though it was initially announced that 7 percent of the district’s students had personal belief exemptions, “I went through our records and it was only half as much, 3.4 percent of our students, not immunized for measles.”

Herzog continued, “With the publicity around this, that data quickly changed. On a daily basis we are getting information. The 3.4 percent is down to 1.5 percent.”

The superintendent said that of the roughly 1,563 students in the district, “less than two dozen have exercised personal belief exemptions for measles.”

Board president Dana Linker Steele said, “At most school board meetings we talk about math and science, but we don’t talk about is ensuring the safety of our students. So to me, eliminating the personal belief exemption, ensuring the children and the members of our staff are safe, is important.”

Board member Susan Lambe Peitz, an emergency room physician, said, “I agree with Dana that our role is a dual one. It’s about educating children, but we also have to keep them safe.”

More information

Board member Howard Block asked, “A herd of animals are all in the same acreage. What is a herd in a community?”

Herzog replied, “(Marin Public Health Official Matt) Willis told us he is looking at the school.”

Block asked, “Do we know anecdotal evidence of the adverse effects of vaccines and how many people respond negatively to it? Are the negative effects enduring? How long do adverse effects last?”

“As far as adverse responses to immunization, that is not my area of specialization,” Peitz said. “For any medical intervention, there are cost benefits.”

“Why do we have to be the hero for the county without at least having a little more data to address the small doubt that’s at least in my mind?” Block asked. “I’m just saying can we get a little more information.”

After additional debate, the board moved ahead with a motion to resolve, “The board of trustees of the Reed Union School District urges California legislators to eliminate the exemptions from vaccinations for all but medical exemptions.” The resolution passed 4-1, with Block voting against.

“We’re thrilled,” said Jodi Krawitt, Rhett’s mother. Friends, well-wishers, fellow parents and legislators surrounded the Krawitts, offering back pats, hugs and congratulations.

“It (the resolution) sends a very strong leadership message,” Jodi Krawitt said.