132 Unvaccinated Students Kept Out of Prince George's Schools

A total of 132 kindergarten and seventh-grade students remain barred from entering Prince George’s County Public Schools on Monday, a drop from the estimated 400 unvaccinated students the system had a week ago.

According to Prince George’s County Public Schools Acting Communication Officer Max Pugh, 46 kindergarten students and 86 seventh-graders have failed to provide the school with record of immunization.

Enacted for the 2014-2105 school year, Maryland state law mandates children entering kindergarten to have two doses of Varicella vaccine, which prevents chickenpox, and students entering the seventh grade to receive a single dose of the Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) vaccine and Meningococcal (meningitis) vaccines. The state granted Prince George’s County an extension on the original deadline of Sept. 16, giving students’ parents and guardians until Oct. 31 to immunize their child.

Throughout September and October the county hosted several free vaccination clinics to ensure the system’s 9,000 kindergarten and seventh-grade students met the Oct. 31 deadline. Having reached the vast majority of student enroll, the county doesn’t have another outreach event in the works.

“Except for the general outreach from the school nurse and school to the parents that we’re doing right now, we don’t have any more [immunization clinics] scheduled and don’t plan to, Pugh said. “We encourage parents to reach out to either health care providers, the Prince George’s County health center, or even pharmacies.”

Prince George’s Public Schools faced a similar situation in 2007 when the county threatened parents with fines and jail time for not vaccinating their children.

That year, Prince George’s County state’s attorney Glenn F. Ivey warned parents their children would be withdrawn from school until proof of vaccination was provided. The letter also told parents that if their children were not attending school, they could face criminal charges with a maximum penalty of 10 days in jail and a fine of $50 per day of absence.

School health officials will take another formal count of students held from attending class on Thursday, Nov. 13, at which point students will have exceeded their limit for lawful absence. The schools’ current policy to address repeated truancy is court action.

The state policy accommodates students with legitimate reasons for declining vaccination, however. “[Students] can get a signed medical contradiction if they have a health issue that precludes them from getting an immunization, or they can request a religious waiver,” Pugh explained. “We encourage parents to do any one of those three things to get their children back in school.”

Related Links:

• Bowie Parents: Kids Must Be Immunized by Oct. 31
• PG Schools Seek Extension of Immunization Deadline

Patch file photo

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