Nearly 400 students suspended
Health unit bars teens until proof of immunization received
The health unit on Tuesday suspended nearly 400 high school students who failed to provide up-to-date immunization records despite months of repeated warnings. Judy Allen, manager of the Healthy Schools program, said the Windsor-Essex Health Unit sent notices to students in December and February warning their immunization records were incomplete. “As well as that, we did high school clinics, we did Saturday clinics, we’ve had walk-in clinics for the last couple weeks,” she said. “We tried to do everything we could to prevent kids from getting suspended.”
The health unit said 388 students born in 2000 and 2001 will be suspended for up to 20 days. The suspensions will be lifted as soon as the health unit receives updated records.
The suspensions were the latest move in a five-year plan to assess every student’s immunization records. For this round, the health unit chose students born in 2000 and 2001, most of whom are in Grades 11 and 12.
About 4,300 students received notices in December 2017 that their immunization records were incomplete. In February, final notices were mailed to the 1,806 students who still had not provided the proper records.
Ali Abouzeeni, one of the suspended students, said Tuesday that one more reminder would have been nice.
“It’s a safety issue,” said Abouzeeni, who didn’t recall receiving the previous notices. “But 20 days is a little extreme. I think they should have told the people that needed them two days or three days in advance that you got to get them or you’ll be suspended.” But aside from that, he said he understands the concern. He went to the health unit’s Ouellette Avenue office Tuesday afternoon to get his shots.
“It’s good that I think it’s making kids actually go do it and not waste any time,” said Abouzeeni, a Grade 11 student at St. Joseph’s Catholic High School.
“Because it’s very important to get them. So I’m just trying to get them, hurry up and get back to my school and give to them. Get the situation dealt with.” Students in Abouzeeni’s shoes must now either go to the health unit in person to show proof their records are updated, or have their health-care provider fax it in. “They can’t call us with it or bring it into their school anymore,” said Allen. “We have to actually see it.” If a student still hasn’t provided updated records by the end of the suspension period, the medical officer of health can reissue it for another 20 days.
“It’s a law in Ontario that schoolaged kids, in order to go to school they either have to be up to date with their immunizations or have a valid exemption on file,” said Allen. “The reason for it is to protect the health of students in our community. If someone comes into the school with a vaccine-preventable disease and kids aren’t up to date with their immunizations, it can spread through the school very quickly. Some of those diseases can make you very ill or even kill you.” The Immunization of School Pupils Act allows exemptions for two reasons. One is a medical exemption for kids with serious allergies to vaccines or who have health conditions that would prevent them from getting vaccinated. That exemption requires a form filled out by a medical professional. The second exemption is for religious or philosophical reasons. In that case, a parent would fill out the form and take it to a notary public to swear they have a philosophical or religious reason for opposing the immunization. At last count, 186 students in the 2000 and 2001 age groups had exemptions.
The health unit is hosting a daily walk-in immunization clinic until Friday. It will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Suspended students can bring their records to the health unit to be updated, or have their doctor or nurse practitioner fax the records. Immunization records will be accepted in person Monday to Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the Windsor and Leamington health unit offices.