Students Allowed to Skip Inoculations for Epidemic

Some children will be let into school next year without being vaccinated against a new epidemic.

The Temecula Valley Unified School District will let children whose parents disagree with vaccinations register without getting the whooping cough vaccine.

The state mandated the vaccine for students in grades 7 to 12 after pertussis, or whooping cough, was declared an epidemic in June.

About 1,500 cases were diagnosed statewide, and five were fatal, according to the state’s department of public health. More than 450 cases of the disease were confirmed in Riverside County since Dec. 30, according to the county health department.

For most parents, the rule is strict, said Mike Hubbard, the director of child welfare and attendance.

“If you haven’t had the shot and you haven’t signed the exemption, you’ll not be allowed to enroll,” he said. About 90 percent of students are not up to date with this vaccine, he said.

The district made an exception for parents who, for various reasons, oppose vaccines. “A lot of people don’t believe in vaccines and vaccinations,” said Richard Shafer, a school board member.

Though the state mandated the vaccines, it gave no extra funding so the school could help parents get their children vaccinated. “It seems weird they’d mandate it and not provide any service to meet it,” said Board Member Robert Brown.

The new requirement can be met in one of three ways. First, the student can get the vaccination. Second, the student can get a note from a doctor saying the child has a medical reason for skipping the shot. Lastly, a parent can read and sign a form releasing the child of the mandated vaccination, Carpenter said.

The district scheduled an open forum for 6:30 p.m. on March 22 about the “myths and misunderstandings,” of vaccinations, said Nancy Carpenter, the district nurse. “We hope this will be a chance for parents to meet and get questions answered.”