Starting at the beginning of the 2014-2015 School Year, Harford County Public Schools is requiring that all students entering the 7th grade must have two new vaccinations.
Parents or guardians of current 6th grade students will have to pay close attention to these new requirements, because only the new students are going to be affected. The new requirements are that all new 7th grade students must have at least one Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis) vaccination along with an additional meningococcal vaccination.
Information has been passed out to all of the students that will be affected by the new requirements. Also, you may go online at www.hcps.org/vaccinations in order to find out any new updates that might occur between now and next school year, a free immunization consent form, the immunization letter, and more.
Mary Nasuta, the Nurse Coordinator for Harford County Public Schools, stated, “A child has up to 20 days from the start of school to show proof of vaccinations.”
These new requirements will be in addition to the existing school immunization requirements. Without any proof of vaccination, students may not be allowed in school.
Mary Nasuta also stated, “You may bring a copy of your Tdap and meningococcal shot documentation to your school nurse at this time in preparation for the 2014-2015 school year.”
The Harford County Health Department will be administering these vaccines for free, so nobody will have to worry about any sort of financial issues. If you have any questions regarding the new vaccinations, feel free to contact your school’s nurse.