Students in Seattle, Washington will be required to show proof of immunizations after Christmas break when school resumes on Jan. 8.
"Student records must reflect updated immunization status by January 8, 2020, or students cannot attend school until the required information is provided to the school nurse," a notice on the school district website states. "Families of students whose records are not up to date or are missing information will be notified via email, postal mail, and a letter home from your child’s school."
The notices come after the Washington State legislature voted to get rid of the personal and philosophical exemption for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The state recently had two measles outbreaks that left 87 sick and caused a state of emergency, KIRO-TV reported.
Under state law, school districts were supposed to begin implementing the policy in the fall. Once a student was considered "non-compliant" after 30 days of receiving the notice, school districts were supposed to kick them out of school, The Hill reported. The problem, however, was there was no way to enforce school districts to be compliant. That meant districts took things on a case-by-case basis.
To help families meet the requirements, the school district scheduled free immunization clinics at various facilities:
Kaiser Permanente
- Proof of insurance or citizenship NOT required
- Parent/guardian must be present
Friday, December 27, 2019, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Aki Kurose Middle School, 3928 S Graham St, Seattle, WA 98118Monday, December 30, 2019, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Aki Kurose Middle School, 3928 S Graham St, Seattle, WA 98118ICHS (International Community Health Services)
- Parent/guardian must be present
- Spanish interpreter will be available; Phone interpreters will be available
- Drop-ins are welcome. First come, first served.
- Appointments are encouraged. Call 206-332-7160 to make an appointment.
January 3, 2020, Time: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Seattle World School - 1700 E Union St, Seattle, WA 98122
