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Immunizations and Health Policies
Immunizations
The PA Department of Health stipulates the immunization requirements for school admittance. Your physician has access to these requirements. Please obtain a copy of your child’s immunization record from your family physician to be placed in your child’s school health record before your child’s first day of school. We must have written proof on file that each child has been immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, poliomyelitis, measles, mumps, rubella and hepatitis.
Pennsylvania Required Childhood Immunization Schedule
Students entering kindergarten need:
4 doses of tetanus* (1 dose, age 4);
4 doses of diphtheria*(1 dose, age 4);
3 doses of polio;
2 doses of measles; **
2 doses of mumps; **
1 dose of rubella (German measles); **
3 dose of hepatitis B; and
2 doses of varicella(chickenpox) vaccine or history of disease.
*Usually given as DTP or DTaP or DT or Td
** Usually given as MMR
Students entering seventh grade need:
1 dose of tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis (Tdap) if five years have passed since last tetanus immunization;
1 dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV).
Exemptions
The only exemptions to the school laws for immunization are medical reasons, religious beliefs, or philosophical/strong moral or ethical conviction. If your child is exempt from immunizations, they may be removed from school during an outbreak. You must provide documentation if your child is exempt.
Pennsylvania Five-Day Rule/Exclusions
Under the changes starting August 1, 2017, the current provisional waiver of eight months for school children to be fully immunized is reduced to five school days. The student must obtain the next or final dose within that five-day window or risk being excluded from school. However, the student may attend school provisionally beyond the five days if he or she submits a medical certificate from a health care provider outlining the dates for additional vaccination. A health care provider includes a physician, certified nurse practitioner or a physician assistant.
If the student has not received all of the doses for a multiple dose vaccine series on the child’s first day of attendance for that school year, the school administrator or a designee may not provisionally admit him or her unless the five-day rule can be met or a medical certificate is provided. (In the preamble that accompanies the regulation, the designee is assumed to be the school nurse.) Students that have not received a single dose vaccine on their first day of attendance for that school year may not be admitted to school.
Lead Testing
As of January 1, 2018, Allegheny County requires lead testing for all children in the county. Children entering Kindergarten this fall will need to show that they have had two tests to measure his/her blood lead level.
Here is what you need to know:
The new regulations require blood lead testing for all children at around 9-12 months old and again at 24months old. If your child did not have one or both of these tests, he or she should have a blood lead test as soon as possible.
We will need written proof from your doctor showing when the blood lead tests were done. Attached is a form to be completed and signed by your child’s doctor.
If your child did not have the blood lead tests at 9-12 months and 24 months, he/she should have the “catch up tests”done as soon as possible.
Physical Examinations
We require that all new students have a physical examination.
A hearing, vision, and TB screening must be included in this examination. Parents must have medical forms updated when their child enters 6th grade, and dental forms when their child enters 1st, 3rd and 7th grade. The Wilkinsburg School District nurse will provide vision and hearing screening at PUCS during the year
An Athletics-Insurance and Physical Registration Form is required for students to participate in any sport. Your family physician must complete this form and insurance information should be provided to the school before the child is able to participate.
Emergency Medical Authorization Form
The Emergency Medical Authorization Form must be on file in the unlikely event that your child needs emergency treatment and we are unable to reach you. You will receive all necessary health forms in the student enrollment package once your child has been admitted.