Seattle Public Schools offers free immunization clinics ahead of exclusion deadline
SEATTLE -- The deadline is quickly approaching for Seattle Public Schools students to get their immunization records up to date. Come January 8th, the district won’t allow them to attend class without the required information.
Tim Robinson, a spokesperson for Seattle Public Schools, said there was just under 2,000 students that needed to update their immunization records. The district on Friday offered a free clinic at Aki Kurose Middle School.
Sixth-grader Julian Camba and his mom, Mary Gomez Camba, were one of several families in line to get vaccinations.
“I was like really, really scared. But then when I got it, it only stung a tiny bit and it was really quick,” said Julian.
“I didn’t know that he didn’t have his vaccination in the records until I got a letter from the school saying that he needed to be vaccinated,” said Gomez Camba. “We’ve been trying to schedule this with our doctors. But with work, it has been incredibly difficult.”
Washington state law requires all students to get their MMR vaccination or have a signed certificate of exemption. Those who don’t by the district’s deadline will be excluded from school until requirements are met.
“We are doing everything we can here as a sprint to the finish line to get as many students up to date as possible,” said Robinson. “We don’t want anybody missing out on any educational time.”
While having current immunization records is a state mandate, some parents said it’s also for everyone’s safety.
“Protect yourself, protect my daughter, protect their friends, protect everybody. We don’t want to see other kids go down," said parent Larry Coley.
Julian said he wants to encourage other students to get the immunization records up-to-date.
“Don’t be scared to get vaccinated because if you don’t there’s going to be worse consequences than a needle,” said Julian.
Seattle Public Schools is offering the following free immunization clinics for its students during winter break:
Monday, December 30, 2019, 10-3 P.M.
Aki Kurose Middle School
3928 S Graham Street
Seattle, WA 98188
Friday, January 3, 2020, 9-12 P.M.
Seattle World School
1700 E Union Street
Seattle, WA, 98122