Immunizations in School Setting

Hi, School nurse in California. I manage two buildings tk-8th and highschool is being implemented for next year. For me I was tasked with hunting parents down for imms. At my school the clerk gets them registered requests them imms and depending on the grade other health documents needed for registration...I.E.. oral, physical ect. The file goes to me. I make sure all the health documents get in that file either from the parent, the pervious school or CAIR2. Once it is complete I had it back over and the school files it away. With imms we have to in California report immunizations to the state. So we have a deadline to report new students. We report to shoots for schools. So yes it is my job. If your state has something like CAIR it will be alot easier. I just look up my student and print their blue card. It also tells you which are missing and when new ones are due. 

I even had to send out documents to parents letting them know they only had ten days to get me records of the imms that were not in CAIR or the student needed to get the shots or they would not be allowed to go to school. Alot of parents were pretty mad with me that week. 

In my district in Massachusetts, it is the building-based nurse's responsibility to obtain and maintain immunization documentation. With new registrations, the school secretary will let families know what is required, and will collect things, but anything medical goes straight to the nurse to manage. Any missing documentation from the medical side (immunizations, physicals) are the responsibility of the school nurse to follow up on.

One saving grace is that in my district, our charting software syncs with the state immunization system, so we can see most immunizations that way. Though this doesn't work for out of state families or families that have opted out of the sharing.

If you're not already familiar- finding out what the law is for your state is a good starting point. In Missouri- there is no grace period for students to be up to date/have complete immunization record on file before they can attend school.   Unless those few circumstances such as being homeless.                                                                                   It is my responsibility to make contact with parents, look it up on the state wide immunization data base, or get it from the previous school. Kids don't start until it is in place. We still try to get parents to be responsible and provide it for us.

I'm in Ohio. I have grades 9-12. In my district we have one nurse in each building (elementary, middle, high school) and we are each responsible for getting documentation of immunizations for each student at our respective schools. Do you have access to impactSIIS in Michigan? This is helpful in finding record of vaccinations as well. I usually send out 2 letters, then make phone calls. In Ohio, students are supposed to be excluded from school without documentation or an exemption form. Administration aka my principal takes care of this part. It's above my pay grade to be calling and telling parents their kid is not able to come to school until they have whatever vaccination LOL!