Eight Grand Forks County schools achieved vaccination rates of 95% or higher last year

Aug. 22—GRAND FORKS — Out of 20 Grand Forks County schools surveyed for kindergarten vaccination rates, eight achieved the Healthy People 2030 goal of 95% or higher.

"It's super exciting to have these schools meet those immunization 'honor rolls,'" said Rachel Flores, Grand Forks Public Health immunization program manager.

According to a GFPH press release, the schools on the 2022-2023 immunization honor roll are Ben Franklin Elementary, Discovery Elementary, Holy Family-St. Mary's Elementary, J Nelson Kelly Elementary, Nathan Twinning Elementary, Northwood Public School, St. Michael's Catholic School and Viking Elementary.

Though only eight schools met the goal, Grand Forks County averaged higher vaccination rates than the state across all five school-required vaccinations: polio, DTaP, MMR, hepatitis B and varicella. The state's average ranged from 91.29% to 93.53%, while Grand Forks County's average was from 95.45% to 96.37%.

"It's really important — acknowledging the dedication of our schools, students and families to (prioritizing) the health and wellbeing of the community," Flores said.

The state of North Dakota requires proof of school-required age appropriate vaccinations, or an exemption, to be filed by Oct. 10 each year. Exemptions fall under three categories: medical, religious and personal belief. Medical exemptions must be signed by a physician, but religious and personal belief exemptions require only a parent or guardian's signature.

According to the North Dakota Health and Human Services' 2022 immunization report, exemptions have more than doubled in the last decade. During the 2011-2012 school year, exemptions for school-required kindergarten immunizations were at 1.74%. By the 2021-2022 school year, they reached 4.8%.

The majority of 2021-2022 exemptions were categorized under personal belief: 6.09% in non-public schools and 3.07% in public schools.

"That has been pretty consistent across the board, that personal belief exemptions have been increasing for a couple of years," Flores said.

For the 2022-2023 school year, Grand Forks County personal belief exemptions (2.22%) were below the state's (3.16%). Religious exemptions in the county were 0.59% compared to the state's 1.65%. The county had slightly higher medical exemptions (0.23%) than the state (0.21%).

Flores works on the disease prevention team to run immunization clinics and coordinate outreach for the community according to its immunization needs.

"Immunizations (play) a very crucial role in ensuring a safe and thriving environment," Flores said. "My goal is to help remove barriers and help prevent people from having to feel like they need an exemption. It's been at the forefront of our minds: to help people have accessible and reliable information about vaccines so they can make informed decisions."

If neither proof of vaccinations nor exemption are filed by Oct. 10, state law requires the student to be excluded from school. However, when NDHHS surveyed school staff across the state, it found many schools don't exclude non-compliant children.

"The majority of school staff whose schools do not enforce the exclusion requirement said this behavior was a reflection of their local superintendent's beliefs, while others felt conflicted about their duties as educators," according to the report.

Flores works closely with Grand Forks County schools — specifically their nurses and administrative teams — to help prevent exclusion from becoming an issue. Sometimes, exclusions happen due to lack of accessible immunizations, so in-school clinics are important, Flores said.

"Maybe parents are ... having a hard time accessing that healthcare," Flores said. "At least we're bringing it to them."

GFPH is dedicated to helping people make informed decisions by sharing reliable information, Flores said. So, with respiratory illness season approaching, Flores encourages the public to get vaccinated.

"Getting vaccinated against both flu and COVID viruses can help reduce co-infections, ease the burden on healthcare resources, and they are really our best defenses against these viruses," she said.