JGCB: Inoculations

Unless provided otherwise herein, all students enrolling in any district school shall provide the building principal with proof of immunization of certain diseases or furnish documents to satisfy statutory requirements. Booster shots required by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Environment are also required.

A copy of this policy and the applicable state law shall be distributed to students, prospective students or their parents on or before May 15th of each school year. The superintendent shall issue a news release each August explaining the required inoculations and booster shots. Parents may delegate in writing their authority to consent to immunizations. If the parent is not reasonably available, and the authority to consent has not been denied as provided in law, individuals other than the parent may consent to the immunizations as provided for in current law.

At the beginning of a school year, information shall be provided on immunizations applicable to school age children to parents and guardians of students in grades six through 12. The information on immunizations shall include:

• A list of sources for additional information; and
• related standards issued by the national centers for disease control and prevention.

Students who fail to provide the documentation required by law may be excluded from school by the superintendent until statutory requirements are satisfied. Notice of exclusion shall be given to the parents/guardians as prescribed by law. Students who are not immunized against a particular disease(es) may be excluded from school during any outbreak.

The above requirements are not to serve as barriers to immediate enrollment of students designated as homeless or foster children as required by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the McKinney-Vento Act as amended by ESSA. The district shall work with the Department for Children and Families, the school last attended, or other relevant agencies to obtain necessary documentation of inoculations.

Each principal shall forward evidence of compliance with the inoculation law to other schools or school districts when requested by the school or by the student's parents/guardians and shall work cooperatively with local, county, and state health agencies to disseminate materials related to the availability of inoculations.