979 elementary students in Guelph face suspension over immunization records
Students can be suspended for up to 20 days, however students are normally back in school within 4 days
Over 900 elementary students in Guelph face the risk of being suspended for not having their immunization records updated, as Jan. 26 is the deadline for parents to notify Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health (WDGPH).
By midweek, 979 elementary students in Guelph still needed to get their records updated.
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Students who don't have their records up-to-date by Friday, may be suspended on January 31 until their immunization record is updated.
Rita Isley, director of community health and wellness at WDGPH, said public health works with schools to get immunization records when children are registered for Kindergarten.
But it's ultimately up to parents to notify public health when their child has been vaccinated, a responsibility that many parents are often not aware of, she said.
Numbers have gone down
Isley said that since WDGPH implemented the suspension process, the number of all students facing suspension over the years has gone down significantly.
"I would say it's been cut in half from last year," she said. "I believe we were around 11,000 students and this year we were just about 6,000."
WDGPH assessed student immunization records and started to send letters to parents in the fall.
There was also drop-in immunization clinics for students who needed vaccinations since the beginning of January.
"If [parents] have received phone calls, have a letter, or notices from the school that their child is still on the list for not having their vaccinations up-to-date, to get in contact with public health as soon as possible," Isley said.
Students can be suspended for up to 20 days, however students are normally back in school within four days, she said.