Students with missing immunizations to be excluded from school starting February 15

Jan. 26—Feb. 15 is School Exclusion Day.

Officials with the Oregon Immunization Program are encouraging parents to check to make sure their children are immunization.

Children whose records show that they are missing immunizations may not be able to attend school or child care until the medical records are updated.

Under state law, all children in public and private schools, preschools, Head Start and certified child care facilities must have up-to-date documentation on their immunizations or have an exemption.

"Immunization is the best way to protect children against vaccine-preventable diseases such as whooping cough and measles," Oregon Health Authority (OHA) Public Health Division School Law Coordinator Stacy de Assis Matthews said. "Just a few years ago, we saw several measles cases in the Northwest, and Central Ohio just experienced a severe measles outbreak with more than 30 unvaccinated children hospitalized. There also were recent polio cases in New York state. We don't want another disease outbreak in Oregon of on top of COVID-19. Immunizations are the most effective way to stop the spread of measles and other diseases, to keep kids and school communities healthy and safe."

If a child's school and child care vaccination records are not up to date by Feb. 15, the child will be sent home if they don't have an exemption. In 2022, local health departments sent 26,149 letters to parents and guardians informing them that their children needed immunizations to stay in school or child care.

A total of 5,118 children were kept out of school or child care until the necessary immunization information was turned in to the schools or child care facilities. This year, reminder letters to parent will be mailed by Feb. 1.

COVID-19 vaccinations are not required for students in Oregon schools or child care. OHA strongly recommends everyone stay up to date with COVID-19 immunizations. Parents can check with their health care provider or pharmacist about current COVID-19 recommendations.

Parents seeking immunizations for their children should contact their child's pediatrician or local health department, or contact 211Info by dialing 211 or visiting to 211info.org. No one can be turned away from a local health department because of the inability to pay for required vaccines. Many pharmacists can immunize children 7 and older; parents can contact their neighborhood pharmacy for details.

Additional information about school immunizations can be found at the Immunization Program website.

Statewide school vaccination data is available on the OHA website, or at OHA's new School Law Immunization Dashboard.

Personal stories on why people in Oregon are deciding to vaccinate can be viewed by visiting OHA's Facebook and Twitter pages. OHA also invites people to join the conversation and share why they vaccinate by using the hashtag #ORVaccinates on social media.

As a parent, Dr. Choo talks about why she vaccinates her children: https://youtu.be/aDy7sseKs24

Reverend Dr. Currie discusses whether there are legitimate reasons for religious exemptions: https://youtu.be/D6XnPm1N4iQ

Hear how Sarah's powerful conversations changed her mom's long-held views on vaccinations: https://youtu.be/dPB2sfySwJQ