Aug. 25, 2017
By Rep. Steven Mentzer (R-Lititz)
The Pennsylvania Department of Health has revised Pennsylvania’s school immunization requirements for the 2017-18 school year.
The new rules require parents to get their children fully immunized prior to the fifth day of school or the students will be excluded from school. Previously, parents had eight months to meet school immunization requirements.
These are the new vaccination requirements for attendance in all grades of Pennsylvania schools:
• Four doses of tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (one dose on or after the fourth birthday)
• Four doses of polio (fourth dose on or after fourth birthday and at least six months after previous dose given).
• Two doses of measles, mumps, rubella.
• Three doses of hepatitis B.
• Two doses of varicella (chickenpox) or evidence of immunity.
To reiterate, on the first day of school, unless the child has a medical or religious/philosophical exemption, a child must have had at least one dose of the above vaccinations or risk exclusion.
If a child does not have all the doses listed above, needs additional doses, and the next dose is medically appropriate, the child must receive that dose within the first five days of school or risk exclusion. If the next dose is not the final dose of the series, the child must also provide a medical plan (red and white card) within the first five days of school for obtaining the required immunizations or risk exclusion.
If a child does not have all the doses listed above, needs additional doses, and the next dose is not medically appropriate, the child must provide a medical plan (red and white card) within the first five days of school for obtaining the required immunizations or risk exclusion.