WESTFIELD – As the debate over whether or not to vaccinate and immunize children from contagious childhood conditions such as measles continues to rage on amongst medical professionals and political zealots alike, parents of school-aged children are likely becoming more attuned to their school district’s policies about immunizations and vaccines.
Unless you live in the city of Westfield, that is.
A quick scroll of the district’s Health Services department website brings up a sidebar of expired links to pages that claim to contain crucial information, such as the district’s immunization requirements.
In fact, the district’s Health Services site contains inactive links for medical order and physical exam forms, as well as the district’s directory of school nurses.
On the school district’s website, the heads of all school departments are easily accessible, with the exception of the district’s Health and Safety Coordinator Elizabeth Flaherty.
Flaherty said that the site is in the process of being revamped.
Regarding the district’s immunization requirements, Flaherty said that younger students are required to have five Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis (DTAP) shots, as well as a TDAP booster shot in grade 7.
“There are four IVP (polio), three hepatitis B, two MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) and two varicella (chicken pox) shots,” added Flaherty, adding that, while not an immunization, interim kindergarteners are required to have a lead test completed.
“It’s sort of a throwback to the ’70s and 80s when they found very strong links between lead and some cognitive disability,” she explained, adding that lead tests are required by law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Asked whether state law requires all students to be immunized, Flaherty stated that students can receive medical and religious exemptions. As to how many students attend Westfield schools with these exemptions, she said that there are pockets of students with these both religious and medical exemptions, but that she couldn’t give a definitive answer of how many.
Regarding the administration of these shots and whether the city Health Department can provide them, Flaherty cites the Commonwealth’s insurance mandate law.
“We live in an era of compulsory insurance in Massachusetts, so (students) just go to their doctors and get them,” she said. “The shots begin at birth. The first Hep B shot is given in the hospital right after a baby is born.”
In addition, while the health services website is receiving an overhaul, the site does currently maintain a link to the district’s scheduling for health screenings.
According to the page, the district requires that a physical exam is completed for every student entering kindergarten, as well as grades 4, 7, and 10, in addition to all transfer students.
Student’s heights and weights are also measured during grades 1,4,7 and 10.
Though the district prefers that these physicals examinations be completed by the child’s primary care provider, school physicians can also complete physicals during the school year.
Vision and hearing screenings are mandatory for kindergarten through grade 5 and grades 7 and 10 (vision), and for grades kindergarten through grade 3 and grades 5, 7 and 10 (hearing).
The district also tests for failures from the previous year for vision exasm, as well as all new students, in grades 6, 8, 9, 11 and 12. Failed hearing screenings also warrant a test the previous year, as well as for all new students in grades 4, 6, 8, 9, 11 and 12.
District health services has also made screenings for the congenital spine disorder Scoliosis mandatory every school year for grades 5 – 9.
