School Vaccine time again.

[onthemove]

Well it's that time again when the public health nurses make their rounds to the school to vaccinate the grade 6 students for Meningococcal C, Hepatitis B, Chicken pox and give the HPVaccine.  I have signed the forms declining all shots but up until now we haven't had to discuss/explain that we are not vaxed. It just hasn't come up, but now it will.  I was hoping to not draw attention to this as I am not sure how the other kids (or the other parents)will treat my dd if she is the only unvaxed one. 

Should I keep her home from school, talk to the teacher about excusing her to the library or something, or just let it be while the other kids are receiving all their shots? How have these school vaccine days played out for you?  Were their any problems with peers or parents? Please share your experiences. Maybe I am just getting anxious over something that will completely blow over. 

[MyBoysBlue]

Not all the children will be vaxed at school during these times.  Many will have already be vaxed or their parents didn't sign the consent forms for them to be vaxed at the school and will take them later or just forgot.  I know that when my DS was in grade one I asked him how it was handled and how many of the 21 kids in his class got shots that day.  He said 3, and the nurse came in with a list of names and those were the ones that went for the shots.  We are in Alberta Canada and have no vaccine mandates for school.  I had planned to keep him out of school the day the vaxes were done as I didn't know how they were handled but I forgot.

[emmy526]

I would keep your child out of school to avoid any confusion and "accidental vaccinating" of your child.  It has happened before at schools, giving vaxes to children who's parents declined.  

[philomom]

Where are these schools that give out shots? My kids and I have never seen this happen, it seems quite foreign to us.


I did get a TB test in school many years ago as a kindergartner... there had been an outbreak so they tested the whole school.. teacher, too.

[LisaSedai]

My son's elementary school in Al gives the flu mist. They send a paper home that you sign if you want him to have it.

[Imakcerka]

They used to do this in the US, mostly to immigrant kids. My mom would hide in the bathroom during shots. She was afraid of the needle.

[kathymuggle]

Originally Posted by philomom 

Where are these schools that give out shots? My kids and I have never seen this happen, it seems quite foreign to us.


I did get a TB test in school many years ago as a kindergartner... there had been an outbreak so they tested the whole school.. teacher, too.

Ontario is one.  I wish they didn't - and not only because I do not vax.  

I think parents should be around to ask questions of the nurse or doctor before the vax and monitor their child for reactions after a vax. 

I wish it were done in doctors offices.

There is also the confidentiallity issue - everyone knows DD does not get the vax as her name is not called.  Thus far it has caused no issues - but it is a health item and should be confidential.

Edited by kathymuggle - 9/15/11 at 5:58pm

[ma2two]

I think the safest thing to do would be to keep her home on vaccination day, and on any make-up days as well.

[nzmumto2]

Thanks so much for posting this question. There have been 2 deaths since July of Men C in our region and now they are planning on a mass vac campaign of 44,000 or so starting next week. Like you, the issue of vac has never come up before and I'm terrified of being 'found out' as we are just new to this community and I'm not really sure what the views are like here. I think I might take the advice of others and keep my son out of school for that day - if we get given a date. Scary stuff!

[sleeveless]

I'd keep your child home. During the last flu crisis (can't remember the name and it was only two years ago!), the local health dept. came into our school and tried to vaccinate all the kids. I kept mine home from school. I thought the whole thing was sick. Turned out to be nothing, and all those kids were vaxed for nothing. I hope they don't discover some nasty long-term effects of that not very well tested vaccine! Ugh, indeed.

[onthemove]

Dh didn't want to keep dd home so she went to school. Out of the 28 kids in her class she was the only child not to get vaccinated.  The teacher called her out in front of the class and she had to explain she wasn't getting the shots which singled her out and made her a target for the "if you don't get the shots you will die of cancer" comments.   Needless to say she came home confused and upset.   I am hoping that today the anxiety of the 'shot day' will have passed and it will all blow over and be forgotten.

And as for dd she can choose to research and make decisions for herself regarding what she puts in her body.  She is the healthiest kid I know and I am comfortable with our decision. I absolutely agree with a pp that this should be a confidential health matter and in this case it was put on display for all to know and that can be tough in grade 6 if you don't want the attention.

As for me, I am not sure of the fallout. Friendships may be lost over this as many of dd's friends parents work in the medical field and are strongly pro-vax.  Hopefully I am making a bigger deal than it is.

[emmy526]

Originally Posted by onthemove 

Dh didn't want to keep dd home so she went to school. Out of the 28 kids in her class she was the only child not to get vaccinated.  The teacher called her out in front of the class and she had to explain she wasn't getting the shots which singled her out and made her a target for the "if you don't get the shots you will die of cancer" comments.   Needless to say she came home confused and upset.   I am hoping that today the anxiety of the 'shot day' will have passed and it will all blow over and be forgotten.

And as for dd she can choose to research and make decisions for herself regarding what she puts in her body.  She is the healthiest kid I know and I am comfortable with our decision. I absolutely agree with a pp that this should be a confidential health matter and in this case it was put on display for all to know and that can be tough in grade 6 if you don't want the attention.

As for me, I am not sure of the fallout. Friendships may be lost over this as many of dd's friends parents work in the medical field and are strongly pro-vax.  Hopefully I am making a bigger deal than it is.

i certainly hope you called that teacher and chewed her a new one for being so discriminating in her own classroom..i'd also call the principal and the school board and file a formal complaint against the teacher for what she did.. there was NO excuse for that. 

[Chloebelle]

Originally Posted by onthemove 

Dh didn't want to keep dd home so she went to school. Out of the 28 kids in her class she was the only child not to get vaccinated.  The teacher called her out in front of the class and she had to explain she wasn't getting the shots which singled her out and made her a target for the "if you don't get the shots you will die of cancer" comments.   Needless to say she came home confused and upset.   I am hoping that today the anxiety of the 'shot day' will have passed and it will all blow over and be forgotten.

And as for dd she can choose to research and make decisions for herself regarding what she puts in her body.  She is the healthiest kid I know and I am comfortable with our decision. I absolutely agree with a pp that this should be a confidential health matter and in this case it was put on display for all to know and that can be tough in grade 6 if you don't want the attention.

As for me, I am not sure of the fallout. Friendships may be lost over this as many of dd's friends parents work in the medical field and are strongly pro-vax.  Hopefully I am making a bigger deal than it is.

Wow, that is sick. I really hope you can file a complaint about this discrimination. That teacher had absolutely NO right to say anything to the class. I am speechless.

[onthemove]

dh and I had a 'discussion' with the teacher and principal last night and the teacher was unaware that it happened.  I want school to be a positive, learning experience for dd- this is not something that should be happening in classrooms!! Thanks for the support, I may just have to file a complaint which is more with the issue of vaxing in schools because I guarantee we aren't the first to deal with this.