NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (WFSB) - The Consolidated School District of New Britain is warning hundreds of families their children may be at risk of missing the first day of school if they don’t have their immunizations.
School officials said 300 students in the district have not received their required vaccinations, most of whom attend New Britain High School.
Under an updated policy by the New Britain Board of Education this past winter, and under state law, any student who has not met the required immunizations will be withheld from school. Students who don’t comply could face disenrollment from the district.
State requirements in play
Connecticut requires children to be vaccinated against hepatitis, polio, meningitis, as well as measles, mumps, and rubella.
Dr. Gregory Germain, associate chief at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, said these are diseases that have become preventable thanks to the shots.
“Don’t forget that it’s not just your child in school. It’s children with immunosuppression, kids who are on immunosuppressive medications, kids who are status post-organ transplant, and kids who are on chemotherapy for multiple different conditions,” Germain said. “We have a significantly vulnerable population in our community.”
Germain said there’s been more discussion recently between parents and doctors over the importance of getting kids vaccinated.
“They begin to wonder: Am I doing the right thing? Is this okay for my child? Is it safe? Is it too early? Is it too much? And that has created a lot more dialogue,” he said. “So, general pediatricians and physicians across the state are spending more time with parents discussing the importance, safety and efficacy of vaccines that we give on a routine basis to all of our patients.”
Getting the word out
New Britain’s school district has been working to spread the word, reaching out to families over the phone, in person, and offering immunization clinics at schools.
“Vaccines are known to be effective and safe, and we’ve done so well over the years in protecting students and children across the state of Connecticut,” Germain said.
This time last year, the district had 1,800 students without the proper vaccinations.
The first day of school in New Britain is Aug. 31, which is also the deadline to submit immunization records.
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