Hamilton Co. School Leaders Weigh in on Vaccinations

CHATTANOOGA, TN (WDEF) – Sheryl Rogers, the Nurse Manager for Hamilton County Schools, says, "The state of Tennessee is real stringent, real strict on that."

In fact, Tennessee is so strict on immunization records, schools will kick you out or not allow you to register if you don’t provide them.

Rogers adds, "The only thing the state will allow us to disenroll for is lack of proof of immunizations."

The policy is across the board for public and private schools, regardless of any religious affiliation.

However, that doesn’t mean every classmate your child goes to school with is vaccinated.

There are two exemptions.

Rogers says, "Medical exemptions have to be signed by the students health care provider stating which vaccines or if all vaccines the child cannot get because it would be detrimental to their health."

Then, there is a religious exemption.

Rogers adds, "It just has to come in a note from the child’s parent or legal guardian."

But if there is an outbreak of measles or any other disease, unvaccinated children will be required to stay home until the outbreak is over."

That could take weeks.

Rogers adds, "We hadn’t seen that here in a long time."

Another piece of good news; since so many children in Hamilton County are vaccinated, your child has what’s called herd immunity.

According to Rogers, "That’s where the population around the child that is unvaccinated is well vaccinated, so that’s a protection for that child as well."

If your child’s friend came from a different country, Rogers says, they have to make sure that those vaccines are equivalent to what we use in the United States.

If you’re deciding whether or not to vaccinate your child, experts say talk to a health care provider.