Yes, schools still require kids to be vaccinated, even for online classes. Here’s why.
Updated Aug. 13
North Carolina students are still being required to get vaccinations before the school year starts, including kids who signed up to take only online classes.
State law requires students to have certain vaccinations in place within 30 days of the first day of school, which will be Aug. 17 for most of North Carolina’s 1.5 million public school students. Gov. Roy Cooper has signed an executive order giving families until the end of October to submit proof of vaccinations.
School districts are reminding parents that the immunizations are still required even though many students are starting the school year virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“As of now, state lawmakers have not made any adjustments or exceptions to the immunization and health assessment requirements for students enrolled for face-to-face instruction or for the Virtual Academy,” the Wake County school system emailed families last week. “This includes requirements for kindergartners, 7th graders, and seniors.”
New vaccination required for high school seniors
The vaccination requirements include a new one this year for students who will be entering 12th grade.
Starting Aug. 1, a booster dose of meningococcal conjugant vaccine (MenACWY) is required for rising high school seniors in public, private or religious schools in North Carolina. Students who don’t meet this requirement may not be allowed to attend school until they receive the booster dose, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services..
“The MenACWY vaccine is the best protection against meningococcal disease, which most often affects young people,” Kelly Kimple, chief of the Women’s and Children’s Health Section of the state Division of Public Health, said in a news release. “It is vital that children and adolescents continue to receive all their immunizations on schedule to ensure they are fully protected against all vaccine-preventable diseases, including some of the major causes of meningitis.”
The challenge facing school officials and families is that more than two-thirds of North Carolina public school students will start the school year with remote instruction due to COVID-19 concerns.
Even when schools resume in-person instruction, many students have signed up for virtual programs that will keep them home through at least the fall semester and potentially the entire school year.
State says vaccinations still required
The state isn’t cutting school districts any slack on the vaccination requirements. While proof of certain immunizations is required for school attendance in North Carolina, these requirements apply to all individuals and are not tied solely to school attendance, according to Kelly Haight Connor, a DHHS spokeswoman.
“All schools in North Carolina are required to maintain immunization records for each child in attendance, including those who are being homeschooled,” Haight Connor, said in an email Friday. “All schools must maintain documentation for any child attending school, in-person or at-home, who qualifies for an exemption from the immunization requirements.”
Brien Brennan, a rising senior at Heritage High School in Wake Forest, said he got his required immunizations. He’s among 82,628 Wake County students, the majority in the district, who enrolled in the new Virtual Academy program.
“That is just common sense,” Brennan said in an interview Friday. “We want all children to be healthy. Vaccinations are proven.”
Brennan was more skeptical of state plans to give students standardized tests this school year, including requiring students who signed up for virtual-only programs to take their exams in-person. He said requiring in-person exams will put students at risk.
Fewer children getting immunizations
Across the country, pediatricians have seen a drop in patients seeking regular appointments and immunizations in the age of the coronavirus, The News & Observer previously reported.
The American Academy of Pediatrics is urging parents to make sure their children are up to date on routine vaccinations. The group also recommends keeping vaccination requirements in place when schools reopen.
North Carolina families can get medical or religious exemptions from the required immunizations.
For more information on school vaccination requirements, go to www.immunize.nc.gov/schools.
This story was originally published August 7, 2020 at 1:42 PM.
