Colorado schools require that children receive certain immunizations (or provide proof of parental vaccine exemptions) in order to attend school. The Colorado Immunization Information System is giving access to nurses and other health professionals in Colorado public schools on a rolling basis.

Curious how CIIS can help your school, childcare center or Head Start facility?

Check out our CIIS Frequently Asked Questions!

*POLICY CHANGE: School users will be able to enter patients and immunizations into the Colorado Immunization Information System starting July 1, 2011*  VIEW THE OFFICIAL MEMO

Since its inception, CIIS school users have had limited access to the registry: you have only been able to look up student records and print school immunization records for students, and sometimes the patient record you receive from the student has more complete immunization data than what CIIS has recorded for that particular patient.  Starting July 1, 2011, CIIS will modify its policy and allow schools, Head Start programs and licensed childcare centers to enter immunization information into CIIS!  This is a policy change that is long overdue, and we are excited to offer this enhanced functionality and access to our educational partners.  Additionally, with the new registry, CIIS school users will be able to see which immunizations CIIS is forecasting for their students as well as have the ability to run immunization reports for their respective schools. 

Please note that it is the responsibility of any school that participates in CIIS to ensure that it complies with any local, state or federal laws and statutes that govern its ability to provide data to CIIS.  Further, it is not the responsibility of CIIS to ensure that schools comply with these laws and statutes.  The Immunization Registry Act of 2007 - CRS 25-4-2403 - allows for the collection of immunization information from schools.  As CIIS operates under this state statute, we are permitted to receive immunization data from schools that are allowed to provide it to us.  In short, if a school participating in CIIS has determined of its own accord that it is indeed compliant with all applicable laws and statutes, then it will be allowed to enter data into CIIS.

CIIS policy requires that schools notify parents regarding the entry of immunization information into CIIS as parents legally have the right to exclude their child's information from the registry.  Schools can display a CIIS Notification Poster in the school or utilize other communication methods to comply with this policy.  We are in the process of developing a notification poster that schools can order free of charge from CDPHE.  Additionally, it is important for schools to ensure that they are following their own confidentiality requirements, and if providing information in the registration packets meets that requirement, this would suffice as well.

If you have any questions about whether your educational facility is allowed to enter immunization data into CIIS, please contact your legal counsel directly.

NOTE: Per our legal department, CIIS is unable to provide a "template" for schools to use to collect parental consent to share student information under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

CIIS simplifies record keeping for schools by:

• Providing free, immediate, and secure access to student immunization records
• Enabling schools to more efficiently manage workloads during peak school enrollment periods
• Allowing school staff to check the accuracy of handwritten shot records and verify with electronic records in CIIS
• Enabling schools to verify exemption status for students in order to facilitate exclusion from school in the event of a disease outbreak
• Providing statewide access to a child’s immunization record as they move between school districts in Colorado

How to Join CIIS

School implementation of CIIS includes the following steps:

• Review of CIIS Confidentiality and Security Policies
• Signed Letter of Agreement by the participating School District Superintendent
• Designation of a CIIS Site Administrator to verify school personnel who can access CIIS
• Determination of who needs to access CIIS at the school level
• Creation of individualized user IDs and passwords for all school CIIS users
• Completion of the technical set-up for computers that will be used to access CIIS
• Training of school staff to access the Certificate of Immunization Form through CIIS

For more information on how your school can join CIIS, please contact Linda Stremming at (303) 692-2445 or linda.stremming@state.co.us.

Technical Assistance for Current CIIS School Users

Are you having difficulty accessing the CIIS web application? It is possible that your computer is not configured correctly. Please visit our Technical Assistance page for troubleshooting tips. For immediate assistance, call the CIIS Help Desk at (303) 692-2437 or toll-free at 1 (888) 611-9918.