Is your child up-to-date on vaccines? What to know before school starts around Kansas City
Schools are almost back in session across the Kansas City area. It’s a scramble to get everything ready before the big day.
For some kids, this will be their first time going to school, which presents another hurdle for parents to hop over: vaccines. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment require kids to receive certain immunizations before they can go to school in person to prevent the spread of disease.
When your children reach a certain age, they’ll be required to receive a few more before they can join their friends in school fun.
The following vaccine requirements apply to all schools in Missouri and Kansas, public or private.
Lynelle Paro, chief at the bureau of immunizations within the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, said there’s always a rush to get kids immunized right before their first day of school, and that parents should start scheduling appointments now if they haven’t already.
WHAT VACCINES DO KIDS NEED TO HAVE BEFORE THEY GO BACK TO SCHOOL IN MISSOURI?
If you’re in Missouri, your child needs the following if they’re heading into kindergarten:
Five DTaP (Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis) vaccinations, and one of these has to come when or after they turn 4 years old.
Four polio vaccinations, and one of the vaccinations has to come when or after they turn 4 years.
Four MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccinations. Like the other vaccines, one has to come when or after they turn 4 years old.
Three Hepatitis B vaccines
Two varicella vaccines
Students won’t be required to get another vaccine until they reach eighth grade, when they’ll have to get:
One Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis) vaccine
One meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV)
Your now-teenager is covered until they hit the 12th grade, where they’ll have to get one more MCV.
WHAT VACCINES DO KIDS NEED TO HAVE BEFORE THEY GO BACK TO SCHOOL IN KANSAS?
It’s the same immunization requirements for Kansas kids, but at different times. If you have a kindergartner, here’s what they’ll need before they can go to school:
Five DTap vaccinations, but the fifth dose isn’t required if your child received one at the age of 4 or older.
Four Poliomyelitis (IPV/OPV) vaccines. The fourth dose isn’t required if your child received one after they turned 4 years old and at least six months have passed since they got the second dose.
Three doses of Hepatitis B
Two doses of Hepatitis A
Two MMR vaccines
Two varicella vaccines
The kids are alright until they reach the seventh grade, when they’ll have to get more immunizations:
One MCV
One DTaP vaccine
One more MCV is required once they reach the 11th grade.
IS THE COVID-19 VACCINE REQUIRED?
No, it’s not a state requirement in Missouri or Kansas. Doctors are recommending that kids get the COVID-19 vaccine like they recommend kids to receive the influenza or Human Papillomavirus vaccine to protect students.
Dr. Tyler K. Smith, a pediatrician at Children’s Mercy Hospital, said that she describes the COVID-19 vaccine as if it were the annual flu shot. It will either prevent people from getting infected or decrease the severity of the symptoms if they’re infected.
CAN I EXEMPT MY CHILD FROM GETTING VACCINATED?
Missouri and Kansas recognize religious and medical exemptions for parents who don’t want to vaccinate their kids. Parents requesting an exemption for their child must provide the school with a medical exemption form or a religious exemption form.
WHAT IS A MEDICAL EXEMPTION?
To get a medical exemption, you’ll have to get a written statement signed by a licensed doctor stating that the required vaccines would seriously endanger the life or health of the student.
You’ll mark what vaccine your child is being exempt from and the doctor will sign it on this form for Missouri and this form in Kansas.
Some examples of situations when medical exemptions would come into play are if your child is going through chemotherapy or if they have a severe allergic reaction to one of the components in the vaccine, Dr. Smith said.
“It’s not just, ‘it hurt me to get the vaccine,’ but something such as they had difficulties with breathing,” Dr. Smith said.
If your child is immunocompromised in any way, Dr. Smith recommended checking with your child’s doctor about vaccine safety and guidance.
WHAT IS A RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION?
If you’re looking to get your child exempt for religious purposes, you’ll need to sign a written statement that your religion doesn’t allow your child to be vaccinated. The religious exemption can apply to one or all vaccinations.
The written note for Missouri residents has to be obtained from a local public health agency or the state Bureau of Immunizations, which looks like this. It only needs one signature from a parent or guardian, not a doctor.
There’s no statewide religious exemption form in Kansas. Instead, it’s up to individual school districts to provide an official form or require a written statement signed by a parent or guardian. Like Missouri, a doctor doesn’t need to sign the form.
Each district form looks different, so it’ll depend on your child’s district, but some type of signed form is required.
HOW RISKY IS IT TO NOT VACCINATE YOUR CHILD?
Paro said that exempting your child from a vaccine doesn’t just put your child in danger, but it also puts medically-fragile children who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons at a greater risk.
If a vaccine-preventable disease breaks out at a school, any unvaccinated children need to incubate at home and will not be able to attend school for a period of time.
This Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools religious exemption form shows how many days your child will have to be excluded from school if they become infected with one of the viruses listed on the document.
While Paro and Dr. Smith encourage parents to get their kids vaccinated, they both said it’s ultimately up to the parent.
HOW CAN I GET MY CHILD’S IMMUNIZATION RECORDS
If you’re unsure if your child is up-to-date on their vaccines, you can call your health provider to receive a copy of their records. Children’s Mercy has a form online that you can fill out to request documents or if you want your physician to send your child’s medical records to Children’s Mercy.
WHERE CAN I GET MY CHILD VACCINATED?
You can either set up an appointment with your child’s doctor to get them vaccinated before school starts, or take them to one of these clinics around Kansas City.
Kansas City Health Department: 2400 Troost Ave., Kansas City. They accept walk-ins, but urge families to call 816-513-6108 to make an appointment.
Jackson County Health Department: 313 Liberty St., Independence. They requires that families schedule an appointment. You can schedule an appointment here or call 816-404-6415.
Clay County Public Health Center: 800 Haines Dr., Liberty. Call 816-595-4355 to make an appointment.
Platte County Health Department: 1201 East St., Parkville. Call 816-587-5998 to set up an appointment.
Johnson County Department of Health and Environment: 11875 S. Sunset Dr., Suite 300, Olathe, KS. or 6000 Lamar Ave. Mission. They take walk-in appointments.
Wyandotte County Health Department: 619 Ann Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. Call 913-573-8855 to set up an appointment.
This story was originally published August 1, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
