BRISTOL/MORRISVILLE SCHOOLS
No vaccines, no school
Posted: Monday, April 23, 2012 5:50 am | Updated: 6:35 am, Mon Apr 23, 2012.
Parents have just more than a week to submit their children’s updated immunization records to their school or the kids won’t be allowed in classes beginning May 1.That means dozens of students, from kindergarten to high school, in the Bristol and Morrisville school districts might have to stay home if their shot records aren’t updated by the state-mandated deadline, according to the districts’ superintendents.School officials are aware that religious restrictions prevent some students from obtaining immunizations, but their parents need to submit the proper paperwork if that’s the case.
Morrisville school Director Alina Marone said fears might keep some parents from getting their children vaccinated. They might fear their citizenship
status would be revealed or some vaccinations cause autism, she said.
No scientific evidence has shown a solid link between autism and childhood vaccines, particularly the mumps-measles-rubella shot. A study that first fueled vaccine fears more than a decade ago was officially discredited in 2009.
Despite that, more than one in 10 U.S. parents aren’t following the standard childhood
vaccination schedule, chiefly over lingering safety concerns, according to a national survey released in October.
Study lead author Dr. Amanda Dempsey of the University of Michigan said vaccine skepticism or fear is fueled by
erroneous information online and some media reports, including the persistent belief among some parents about an autism-vaccine link.
Even parents whose children are fully vaccinated expressed worries, with one in five saying they think delaying shots is safer, according to the survey of roughly 750 parents of children age 6 and younger. The survey was conducted in 2010 and its results were released on Oct. 10 online in the journal Pediatrics.
By age 6, children should have vaccinations against 14 diseases, in at least two dozen separate doses, under the schedule recommended by the U.S. Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices. The survey suggested that more than 2 million U.S. infants and young children may not be fully protected against preventable, life-threatening diseases.
A child who hasn’t been vaccinated and is exposed to a disease may not be strong enough to fight off the disease, according to federal government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.
“Before vaccines, many children died from diseases that vaccines now prevent, such as whooping cough, measles and polio. Those same germs exist today, but babies are now protected by vaccines, so we do not see these diseases as often,” reads the website.
In addition, the website states that immunizing children also protects the health of communities, especially those people who aren’t immunized, such as children under 1 year old who cannot receive the measles vaccine but can be infected by the measles virus. Others cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, such as children with leukemia.
As for side effects: “Any vaccine can cause side effects. For the most part these are minor — for example, a sore arm or low-grade fever — and go away within a few days. ... Vaccines are continually monitored for safety and, like any medication, vaccines can cause side effects. However, a decision not to immunize a child also involves risk and could put the child and others who come into contact with him or her at risk of contracting a potentially deadly disease,” according to website.
As of late in the week of April 16, the Bristol School District had 244 students and the Morrisville School District had 130 students whose parents hadn’t provided their children’s schools with records showing their immunizations are up to date, the superintendents said.
“Most of the school districts are uniform in their plan to take a hard line on the persons who do not have up-to-date immunizations,” Gregory Wright, Bristol’s superintendent, said at Thursday’s school board meeting.
Bristol has sent letters to parents signed by school nurses, and schools Principal Thomas F. Shaffer. Another will be sent out early this week, signed by Wright. Personal phones calls also have been made.
In Morrisville, Superintendent Bill Ferrara said a phone blast has been sent out to parents.
Morrisville school Director Alina Marone said fears might keep some parents from getting their children vaccinated. They might fear their citizenship
status would be revealed or some vaccinations cause autism, she said.
No scientific evidence has shown a solid link between autism and childhood vaccines, particularly the mumps-measles-rubella shot. A study that first fueled vaccine fears more than a decade ago was officially discredited in 2009.
Despite that, more than one in 10 U.S. parents aren’t following the standard childhood
vaccination schedule, chiefly over lingering safety concerns, according to a national survey released in October.
Study lead author Dr. Amanda Dempsey of the University of Michigan said vaccine skepticism or fear is fueled by
erroneous information online and some media reports, including the persistent belief among some parents about an autism-vaccine link.
Even parents whose children are fully vaccinated expressed worries, with one in five saying they think delaying shots is safer, according to the survey of roughly 750 parents of children age 6 and younger. The survey was conducted in 2010 and its results were released on Oct. 10 online in the journal Pediatrics.
By age 6, children should have vaccinations against 14 diseases, in at least two dozen separate doses, under the schedule recommended by the U.S. Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices. The survey suggested that more than 2 million U.S. infants and young children may not be fully protected against preventable, life-threatening diseases.
A child who hasn’t been vaccinated and is exposed to a disease may not be strong enough to fight off the disease, according to federal government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.
“Before vaccines, many children died from diseases that vaccines now prevent, such as whooping cough, measles and polio. Those same germs exist today, but babies are now protected by vaccines, so we do not see these diseases as often,” reads the website.
In addition, the website states that immunizing children also protects the health of communities, especially those people who aren’t immunized, such as children under 1 year old who cannot receive the measles vaccine but can be infected by the measles virus. Others cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, such as children with leukemia.
As for side effects: “Any vaccine can cause side effects. For the most part these are minor — for example, a sore arm or low-grade fever — and go away within a few days. ... Vaccines are continually monitored for safety and, like any medication, vaccines can cause side effects. However, a decision not to immunize a child also involves risk and could put the child and others who come into contact with him or her at risk of contracting a potentially deadly disease,” according to website.
As of late in the week of April 16, the Bristol School District had 244 students and the Morrisville School District had 130 students whose parents hadn’t provided their children’s schools with records showing their immunizations are up to date, the superintendents said.
“Most of the school districts are uniform in their plan to take a hard line on the persons who do not have up-to-date immunizations,” Gregory Wright, Bristol’s superintendent, said at Thursday’s school board meeting.
Bristol has sent letters to parents signed by school nurses, and schools Principal Thomas F. Shaffer. Another will be sent out early this week, signed by Wright. Personal phones calls also have been made.
In Morrisville, Superintendent Bill Ferrara said a phone blast has been sent out to parents.
For more information on vaccine benefits and side effects, log on to the CDC website, www.cdc.gov.
4 comments:
Good comment from Aline Marone on the on-line BCCT article.
1 comment:
VivaLaNewsPAPERS posted at 9:47 am on Mon, Apr 23, 2012.
Posts: 2 Parents and Guardians of Morrisville students with incomplete immunization records have been notified by letters. Pennsylvania State Immunization Law - LAW - mandates ONE of the following FOUR documents to complete the REQUIREMENT allowing for student attendance on and beyond May 1, 2012:
1) Written Record of the required immunization(s) signed by your physician.
2) Written Record of the Exemption. Immunization EXEMPTIONS to school law are: a. MEDICAL Reasons - This exemption requires a written statement dated and signed by the Physician and Parent/Guardian on file in your child's health record. b. RELIGIOUS Beliefs - This exemption requires a written statement dated and signed by the Parent/Guardian on file in your child's health record. c. MORAL/ETHICAL Conviction similar to a religious belief - This exemption requires a written statement dated and signed by the Parent/Guardian on file in your child's health record. 28 Pa. Code Chapter 23, Subchapter C is the mandate that will not allow provisional enrollment (that is nothing on file in your child's health record) beyond May 1, 2012. Compliance with ONE of the FOUR options above MUST be submitted. Note, if your child is EXEMPT from immunizations he or she MAY be removed from school during an outbreak. Free immunizations clinics are offered by Bucks County Department of Health and can be scheduled by calling 267-580-3510. HELP is available. Exemptions and Immunizations are available. Parents/Guardians of Morrisville students can call the school nurse for further guidance and assistance at 215-736-5264. Every school district in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is facing this issue and deadline. We hope by being proactive and talking about it, we can help bring all of our families and their students in compliance with the law. Kindly submitted for your consideration, Alina C. Marone, Morrisville School District Board Director alinamarone@mv.org
But! But!! Autism!!!
Jenny McCarthy told me so!! And we all know she's a scientist. Oh wait, she's actually a misinformed Hollywood B actress propagating incorrect information and creating undue panic resulting in children's health, and by extension, public health, being compromised. But hey, we all need a bogeyman.
Report: Autism-Vaccine Link an 'Elaborate Fraud'
By Lorie Johnson
CBN News Medical ReporterFriday, January 07, 2011RSSPodcasts
5 Comment(s)
A new report claims scientist Dr. Andrew Wakefield, who linked vaccines to autism in a study in 1998, made-up some of his data.
Wakefield's study that suggested the mumps, measles, and rubella (MMR) vaccine can cause autism is now being labeled "an elaborate fraud" by the British Medical Journal.
The report has shocked the medical community and angered families across the country. Now, the big question being raised is did his actions cause children to die?
In the study, which has since been retracted, Wakefield cited eight cases where children developed autism within a week of getting their MMR shot.
But investigative journalist Brian Deer said some of the children had symptoms before getting the shot, and others never developed autism at all.
"I think what Dr. Wakefield did was a moral crime, if not an actual crime," Deer said.
Because of the study, many parents refused to allow their children to be vaccinated out of fear.
"What's happened is that children have suffered and have been hospitalized and have died because of the false notion that vaccines cause autism," said Dr. Paul Offit, author of the book "Autism's False Prophets."
Dan and Kelly Lacek refused to allow their son to get vaccinated because of the fear of autism. Then, he became severely sick.
"To find out that it's been a fraud, and it's a conscious effort to mislead people, that's frustrating," Dan Lacek said.
Despite being stripped of his medical license, Wakefield defends his research.
"The studies are not a lie. The results have been replicated in five countries around the world," Wakefield told CNN's Anderson Cooper.
Wakefield still has his supporters though, like Becky Estepp, who has an autistic child.
"I can't tell you how much this man has impacted my family's life, as well as other families. He's made these kids better," Estepp said.
The overriding question for many is why would someone do such a thing? Dear said Wakefield did if for money.
He was reportedly paid around $750,000 for his research by lawyers whose clients were trying to sue the makers of the measles vaccine.
This is almost comical!! Marlys drinks her own kool-aid!
Morrisville, beware: The tax and Apr 24, 2012. spenders are back!
0 comments
Recently I attended the financial committee meeting of the Morrisville School Board chaired by Damon Miller who is a new board member elected from the Morrisville Matters platform. I was a member of the prior school board that was elected with over 80 percent of the votes to Stop The School in 2007. My fellow board members and I reduced taxes the first two years of our term and did not increase taxes the last two years without any cuts to teachers or programs for our students. Plus, over $6 million in renovations were completed and the school district's test scores increased.
Standing on our record of dedication, my group thought that we would be re-elected to a second term. Our school board president is a CPA with a frugal mind and he spent countless hours reigning in our budget. He, along with our business administrator, stopped the wasteful spending that had become commonplace. The overall budget dropped from almost $22 million to $17 million in our four-year term.
During the campaign my group distributed fliers around town letting voters know that the Morrisville Matters candidates were the same people who were in favor of building that new school for $40 million-plus that was unnecessary and would have bankrupt our town.
The voters did not listen.
I was the only member of the public in attendance as the committee spoke of removing the four modular classrooms installed following a furnace malfunction at our other elementary school. Your new Morrisville Matters school board is planning to borrow $15 million to build onto Grandview Elementary School. Fifteen million dollars for less than 250 students and our enrollment numbers decline every year. In addition to all of this, this tax and spend "Kartel" intend to spend another million to reopen the Manor Park School.
When you open your school tax bill on the first of July 2013 reflecting the first year to pay for this group's unnecessary building project please remember... So sorry, but we told you so.
Marlys Mihok
Morrisville
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