School vaccine requirements change for 09-10

Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD is encouraging all parents of children entering kindergarten and seventh grade to take notice of new immunization requirements from the state of Texas.

“If parents don’t have them (immunized), the kids will be turned away on the first day of school,” said Angela Shelley, district spokeswoman.

Beginning with the 2009-2010 school year, all kindergarten students will be required to have two doses of Varicella (chickenpox) vaccine, two doses of MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine, and two doses of the Hepatitis A vaccine prior to enrollment. Students entering the seventh grade in the 2009-2010 school year are now required to have the Meningococcal vaccine, two doses of the Varicella vaccine, and a booster dose of the Tdap (whooping cough, tetanus, and diphtheria) vaccine prior to enrollment. Shelley said the new requirements will affect about 3,000 students in the district.

“This new law greatly impacts all children entering kindergarten and seventh grade across the state,” stated Zachary Thompson, director of Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS). “We encourage parents to bring their children in now to ensure that their children’s immunizations are current and up-to-date prior to the start of the new school year.”

DCHHS offers childhood immunizations from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, on the first floor of the DCHHS building, 2377 N. Stemmons Freeway. The clinic is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays. A clinic serving Carrollton-Farmers Branch is located at 2774 Valwood Parkway in Farmers Branch. The clinic is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and can be reached at 972-417-5965.

The cost is $10 for children on their first visit and $5 for children who have previously visited the clinic, but no one will be refused service because of their inability to pay. No appointment is necessary. Parents are asked to bring their child’s vaccination records. For information, call 214-819-2163.

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