Immunization changes to go into effect

Students must comply with shots guidelines

School districts in Pennsylvania are urging parents to add an important item to their child’s backto-school checklist: immunizations.

A new policy requires that public school students in Pennsylvania be up to date with their vaccinations by the first day of school or risk being prohibited from attending.

“Hopefully that doesn’t happen because obviously we want kids in school,” said Vicki Flotta, director of public relations for Bethel Park School District.

Students with a provisional waiver can have up to five extra days to get a required dose of a vaccine, compared with the eight months allowed previously.

Per the policy, schools cannot admit students who have not received all the doses of a multipledose vaccines, unless the five-day rule can be met or if their doctor provides a medical plan outlining the dates for the next vaccines. If they haven’t received a required single-dose vaccine on the first day, they may not be admitted.

In addition, students entering the 12th grade must now receive an additional dose of the meningococcal conjugate vaccine, or MCV, for meningitis. They already were required to receive a first dose of MCV before they entered seventh grade, when they also receive an additional dose of the tetanus, diptheria and acellular pertussis (TDaP) vaccine.

to the doctor before school resumes in a few weeks.

“We are getting questions here and there from parents,” said Amanda Hartle, spokeswoman for North Hills School District. “Our nurses are working rather diligently on ensuring that the students meet the requirements, if that’s what the families wish to do. Any time you have any of these changes it’s a fair amount of preparation and communication. It’s something we were well aware of.”

Like Ms. Flotta, Ms. Hartle said she has been sending information to parents for several months so they have plenty of time to make appointments for their children. Ms. Greene said the Pittsburgh district sent home letters and she has taken a number of phone calls answering questions for parents or referring them to their child’s pediatrician.

“The burden of responsibility now falls onto our school nurses to make sure everybody is in compliance,” Ms. Flotta said, adding that the first few days of the school year will be busy for nurses as they check that each student received the right vaccine at the right time.

Unless they have a medical or religious exemption, students of all ages are required to have the following vaccines: four doses of the tetanus, diptheria and acellular pertussis (also called the TDaP) vaccine), four doses of the polio, two doses of measles, mumps and rubella, three doses of hepatitis B and two doses of — or evidence of immunity from — chicken pox.