....But for the last several years, the Philadelphia School District has prohibited school nurses from excluding unvaccinated students, a move that worries Devine and others given the recent local outbreak of mumps and other infectious diseases cropping up across the country.
Across the district, 12,405 pupils lack either all of the state-mandated vaccinations or have an exemption from them because of medical, religious, or philosophical reasons. That’s roughly 10 percent of the district’s student population.
“It’s very dangerous that you’ve got kids who are not immunized, and you have medically fragile kids,” said Devine. “It’s unprecedented.”...
...Karyn Lynch, chief of student support services for the district, said the shift in exclusion decisions was needed to standardize procedures “so that across the city, everyone is following the same process. To inequitably implement across the district would be inappropriate."...
But on the ground, nurses bristle at their lack of authority over student health, and say in the past they were following orders of the state Health Department to exclude, when appropriate, students who lack the required immunizations.
Jerry Jordan, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, which represents school nurses, said the district’s recent shift was “a real concern.”
“This speaks to the question of professionalism, the way people are treated,” said Jordan. “Nurses did not exclude children without the approval of the principal. They’re the medical experts in our school buildings, and we should listen to their advice.”
We have a law here in Arizona that requires exclusion from school for unvaccinated kids UNLESS (1) parents provide an exemption form - the exemption can be "medical" (immunocompromised) or "religious," and neither need to be notarized or any additional support documents (read: total BS). Or, (2) if the student is not UTD but parents have relayed a plan to the nurse (ie, they have an appt in two weeks, or whatever), this is also acceptable to the State.
Last fall was an absolute nightmare with immunization forms because it was my first year and the previous nurse sent out no messaging to incoming 6th graders RE required immunizations. Not one student started school with UTD forms. My compliance reporting is due to the State Nov 15, and I literally worked EVERY DAY on getting those forms in, and still didn't reach herd immunity/compliance.
I almost ended up applying in Philly SD due to a handful of circumstances. ("oh crap I can't find any SN openings except there" being the main driving force.)
Right before I did so I did a 180 and decided that I'd rather go into LTC, a hospital, or do homecare full time instead of working there. Depleted budgets and poor administration across the city make it a really tough environment. I'm not surprised that this is happening.
jnemartin, BSN, RN
340 Posts
We have a law here in Arizona that requires exclusion from school for unvaccinated kids UNLESS (1) parents provide an exemption form - the exemption can be "medical" (immunocompromised) or "religious," and neither need to be notarized or any additional support documents (read: total BS). Or, (2) if the student is not UTD but parents have relayed a plan to the nurse (ie, they have an appt in two weeks, or whatever), this is also acceptable to the State.
Last fall was an absolute nightmare with immunization forms because it was my first year and the previous nurse sent out no messaging to incoming 6th graders RE required immunizations. Not one student started school with UTD forms. My compliance reporting is due to the State Nov 15, and I literally worked EVERY DAY on getting those forms in, and still didn't reach herd immunity/compliance.