Vaccinations given at school

[Bronwen13]

My unvaxxed 8 year old girl asked me today if she had to get a shot at school like her friend's sister has to since she's now in grade 7. My heart just dropped! I've talked with my daughter and have tried explaining why we don't vax her or her sister....and paranoid me has told her that if a nurse at school ever tells her she has to and tries to give her a needle that she should call me at home right away. I'm thinking I'll just keep my kids home on the days they're doing vaxxes at school. Funny enough, I have one childhood memory they always stays with me, and it's being vaxxed at school.

[emmy526]

Originally Posted by Bronwen13 

My unvaxxed 8 year old girl asked me today if she had to get a shot at school like her friend's sister has to since she's now in grade 7. My heart just dropped! I've talked with my daughter and have tried explaining why we don't vax her or her sister....and paranoid me has told her that if a nurse at school ever tells her she has to and tries to give her a needle that she should call me at home right away. I'm thinking I'll just keep my kids home on the days they're doing vaxxes at school. Funny enough, I have one childhood memory they always stays with me, and it's being vaxxed at school.

What state are you in? Cuz in CA, they give shots at school, starting in junior high...Ca passed a law that anyone over 12 can get vaxed wtihout parental consent while in school. 

[Chloebelle]

Scary. Do they give the HPV vaccine at schools, I wonder?

[Amy Paolinelli]

This is something we as parents shouldn't even have to worry about!  UGH!  I get so upset about this even being an issue.  Schools should NOT be vaccinating and parents should always have to give consent.  

[erinmattsmom88]

Originally Posted by emmy526 

What state are you in? Cuz in CA, they give shots at school, starting in junior high...Ca passed a law that anyone over 12 can get vaxed wtihout parental consent while in school. 

OMG! This is terrible!!!

[littlest birds]

Don't sign the blanket medical permission at the beginning of the year.

Here in the U.S. whenever my kids have been in school one of the things you have to fill out at the beginning of every school year is a form saying the nurse can provide care and this can include examinations and vaccinations!  I refused to give permission.  I insisted that they could provide no care except basic first aid, and that for any other care they had to have me pick up my child.  I wrote this out. 

The nurse was grumpy with me a few times but I never gave that blanket permission.  They complained when I did en up picking up a child because they coudn't give her ANYTHING even an OTC fever-reducer.  But I was fine with that since a fever means she should be at home anyway and I was so glad that they knew their hands were tied and the boundary was working.
 

Another thing they would do was flouride treatments and coatings on teeth.  And they would act offended that I refused.  Sadly, you cannot get away from that undercurrent of judgment that suggests you are depriving your child of these gifts and blessings that anyone in their right mind would know are best for their child.

I do not know how this would apply with the recent CA law.  I think that law creates an "adult" status for some things?  So a 12yo is considered an adult who can consent to this particular care?  I do not quite recall.

[Bronwen13]

I'm in Canada....the school is aware we don't vax, and the school nurse is now aware as well. She sent home a letter with my 5 year old wondering where her vax records were. I wrote "NO VACCINATIONS, DO NOT VAX" in big letters across the letter and gave it back to the nurse.
My daughter's friend's sister WILL be getting the HPV vax at school. They send home a school calendar every month, and it says on it what day(s) the vaccinations will take place. I will definitely keep my kids home on those days, just in case.

[OrmEmbar]

Off topic, but, Wow!  It's so nice to hear that there are still nurses in schools.  Our school funding in N. California has been cut so drastically that we might have a nurse for a whole district, but it's very rare to have a nurse dedicated to an individual school.  Haven't known of one for at least 10 years.  Of course, I would be very uncomfortable with vaccinations being done at school even if I were happy to have a nurse.

[littlest birds]

The school nurse here serves several schools in rotation.

[Lazurii]

I remember being in 5th grade (all these many years ago) and the school was doing their huge "vaccine drive", getting the kids vaccinated before middle school the next year.  I was exempt.  The teachers bullied me very badly, telling me I couldn't attend school the next year, and I should get vaccinated and just not tell my parents.  Luckily I was more afraid of my dad than the teachers, but I did go home bawling that day thinking it was my last day of school.  My dad set me (and the school) right.  This was in WA ~20 years ago.

[littlest birds]

Originally Posted by Lazurii 

I remember being in 5th grade (all these many years ago) and the school was doing their huge "vaccine drive", getting the kids vaccinated before middle school the next year.  I was exempt.  The teachers bullied me very badly, telling me I couldn't attend school the next year, and I should get vaccinated and just not tell my parents.  Luckily I was more afraid of my dad than the teachers, but I did go home bawling that day thinking it was my last day of school.  My dad set me (and the school) right.  This was in WA ~20 years ago.

 

I guess I am not really shocked but Uggh, this is awful.

If personnel are making me feel uncomfortable and I'm a strong minded mama who knows where I stand, how might they make my child feel who may think unquestioningly that those same personnel are perfectly wise and wonderful?  It reminds me of how I felt when my mom repeatedly criticized my parenting boundaries to my young teenaged daughter.  (Always said I was too picky, too restrictive, too everything. To my child!)   The parent is being undermined even though the exemption may be respected.

[kathymuggle]

Originally Posted by Chloebelle 

Scary. Do they give the HPV vaccine at schools, I wonder?

yes - Ontario

[Bronwen13]

Yes in BC, Canada

Originally Posted by Chloebelle 

Scary. Do they give the HPV vaccine at schools, I wonder?

[inconditus]

Originally Posted by Lazurii 

I remember being in 5th grade (all these many years ago) and the school was doing their huge "vaccine drive", getting the kids vaccinated before middle school the next year.  I was exempt.  The teachers bullied me very badly, telling me I couldn't attend school the next year, and I should get vaccinated and just not tell my parents.  Luckily I was more afraid of my dad than the teachers, but I did go home bawling that day thinking it was my last day of school.  My dad set me (and the school) right.  This was in WA ~20 years ago.

I guess I'm not surprised either but omg, I would be livid. How big was the school? Even though my parents did vax I feel very blessed that I went to a very rural small school. I don't think this would fly since it was an everyone knew everyone type of deal. But who knows now days. Plus, the district is low on cashflow, so they are thinking about combining a lot of the smaller schools (less than 1,000 kids k-12) so who knows what its going to be like once LO gets big enough to go to school. It makes me kind of sad since IMHO one of the huge perks of living in a small town is that village mentality. 

Also, to the previous poster about their mom undermining them to their kids. I feel you, even though I'm still pregnant I know this is going to happen. My mom is already nagging me that I am going to change my mind about vaccines and that it's 100% needed. I wouldn't be surprised if she said something about it to my kids when they get older. It's sad how this is such a touchy subject with people, like your choice not to vax is a personal attack on their parenting abilities. Or you are instantly labelled as a tin hat wearing conspiracy theorist. I've heard that one too. 

[Lazurii]

Inconditus, the school wasn't that large.  The entire population of the town was 2,800.