Missing vaccines impede schooling
Districts pause remote learning for students who still need shots
Nearly 500 students in Schenectady have been shut out from attending inperson and remote classes because their immunizations are not up to date, as required by the state Health Department.
Karen Corona, a city school district spokeswoman, said that as of Wednesday afternoon, 477 students were missing one or more of the immunizations and will be barred from participating in classes until they have had the required vaccines. She said that last school year, the first when religious exemptions for vaccines were not allowed, 330 students in the district were similarly kept away from class until they'd been vaccinated.
"COVID may have impacted this year as families probably didn't get doctors appointments March-june," she wrote to the Times Union.
The state Health Department guidelines require that students be current on all the necessary immunizations 14 days after the start of school, which in Schenectady was Sept. 14 for the district of roughly 10,000 students.
"We have been communicating with parents whose children's record is incomplete since the spring," said Corona, adding, "We have also been sharing notices to inform families of walkin clinics."
The issue has taken on greater significance as a result of the deadly coronavirus pandemic, which led school districts this fall to offer students a mix of in-person and remote learning options.
In the case of Schenectady, an anticipated state aid reduction of almost $29 million forced school leaders to take grades 7 through 12 entirely online this semester as the district has slashed more than 400 staff members, as well as programs.
Jeffrey Hammond, a spokesman with the state Health Department, said Wednesday that DOH issued a reminder to all schools in the state that they are required to comply with the Public Health Law.
He said schools need to ensure that students show proof that they are meeting vaccine requirements and must within 14 days of the first day of school "receive the first age-appropriate dose in each immunization series," regardless of whether they are attending school in person or remotely.
Schools are also required to maintain a list of students with medical exemptions, signed by a licensed physician, which are granted by the school or the district, not DOH, Hammond said. “In the midst of the COVID -19 pandemic, now more than ever, immunizations protect children and those in the community from vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and mumps," Hammond added.
At Oneida Middle School in Schenectady, the parent of a sixthgrader with special needs, who has been attending school fully online this fall, said that as of Sept. 29 her son's online account with the district, which gave him access to his schoolwork and teachers, had been disabled.
When the woman, who asked not to be identified, approached his teachers about getting his work, she was told that they were not allowed to do that because his vaccinations were not complete.
She said she received a letter about a week and a half ago alerting her that her son needed to be up to date on his vaccines by Sept. 28 or he would be barred from school.
"They (the school district) gave very little time, and in the past, if you could show you had this appointment scheduled ... they'd say, ‘That's enough’ and you could still attend. But they're not allowing that anymore," she said.
Her child, who turns 12 soon, is scheduled to see the doctor Monday to get the two booster shots he needs.
By the time he resumes classes, which she hopes will be Tuesday, the youngster will have missed a week of instruction.
The woman, who has two other school-age children in the district, both of whom are up to date with all their immunizations, said she is more upset with the state than the school district.
"I understand the health issues, but again for students who are only in remote learning, it seems like we could have some nuance around this," she added.
The woman said she has friends in other Capital Region school districts who are facing the same situation. The Times Union was unable to verify the situation in other districts late Wednesday afternoon.
However, the Democrat & Chronicle reported last week that an administrator in Rochester city schools said hers was among other so-called Big 5 districts, the largest in the state, that petitioned that state Health Department for waivers or extensions on the immunization deadline that were unlikely to be granted.
"A lot of families in our district ... they are underinsured or have no insurance or are working, and this is a lot of burden to put on families who are already going through so much right now, " the mother of the Schenectady student said.
Corona, the district spokeswoman, said Ellis Primary Care Plus, at 600 Mcclellan Street, is offering a walk-in immunization clinic from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
No appointment is needed, but parents and guardians of students are required to bring insurance cards and documents showing what immunization is needed.
Those who do not have that information should contact the nurse at their child's school, who can provide it directly to Ellis.
“We have been communicating with parents whose children's record is incomplete since the spring. ... We have also been sharing notices to inform families of walk-in clinics."
Karen Corona, Schenectady School District spokeswoman