Craft an Immunization Explainer Flyer/Page/Handout for Your School
An explainer flyer, webpage, or social media post is a great way to prevent misinformation and communicate resources and actual immunization requirements for your school to your members, families, and community. Always remember to verify any information with your school nurse and/or administrator before you distribute it.
What Ohio requires for school immunizations, and where to get help
You may have seen national news about changes to federal childhood vaccine recommendations. This is what that means for students at [School/District Name].
Ohio’s requirements haven’t changed. School immunization requirements in Ohio are set by state law and the Ohio Department of Health, not by federal recommendations. Ohio has not adopted the recent federal changes. Unless and until state law changes, the same requirements apply that applied last year.
What’s required by grade. The full list is in the Ohio Department of Health’s Immunization Summary for School Attendance, available at odh.ohio.gov. There are two grades that sometimes catch families off guard: seventh graders need Tdap and meningococcal vaccines, and twelfth graders need a second meningococcal dose unless the first came on or after their sixteenth birthday.
Deadline. Under Ohio Revised Code 3313.671, a student can’t remain in school more than fourteen days without written evidence of immunization or evidence that they’re in the process of being immunized on schedule. [School/District Name] would rather help you sort this out now than exclude a student in September.
If you don’t know your child’s status. Your child’s doctor can pull the record from ImpactSIIS, Ohio’s statewide immunization registry. Your school nurse should also be able tell you what’s on file at school.
If cost is the obstacle. Ohio law requires local boards of health to provide these immunizations at public expense, without delay, for students whose parents or guardians haven’t provided them. Contact [Your County] Public Health at [phone number] to arrange it.
If you’re seeking an exemption. A parent or guardian may submit a written statement declining immunization for reasons of conscience, including religious convictions. Separately, a physician may certify in writing that a specific immunization is medically contraindicated for your child. Ohio law also excuses immunization against rubeola, mumps, or chicken pox for a child who has already had that illness, with a signed statement from a physician. Contact [Your School/District Office Contact] for the district’s process and paperwork.
Questions. Start with your school nurse. The Ohio Department of Health Immunization Program can be reached at 800-282-0546.
[PTA Unit Name] doesn’t set these requirements and isn’t offering medical advice. We’re passing along accurate information so families can talk with their own doctors and meet the school’s deadlines.