Nurse’s Corner

Mandatory Immunization & Exemption Requirements for DPS 2022-23 school year.

Posted October 13, 2022

Please read the message below about Mandatory Immunization & Exemption Requirements for  Denver Public Schools & Hamilton Middle Students for the 2022-23 school year.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Regan Thornburg, School Nurse at 720-423-9509.

Dear parents/guardians of students of Hamilton Middle school students:

Getting vaccinated is an important part of their school readiness and keeps children from catching and spreading diseases that can make them sick. We wish you and your student a healthy school year!

Required and recommended vaccines

• Colorado law requires students who attend a public, private, or parochial kindergarten – 12th-grade school to be vaccinated against many of the diseases vaccines can prevent unless a certificate of exemption is filed. For more information, visit cdphe.colorado.gov/schoolrequiredvaccines. Your student must be vaccinated against:
  • Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTaP, DTP, Tdap)
  • Hepatitis B (HepB)
  • Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR)
  • Polio (IPV)
  • Varicella (chickenpox)
• Colorado follows recommendations set by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Students entering kindergarten must receive their final doses of DTaP, IPV, MMR, and varicella. Students entering 6th grade must receive one dose of Tdap vaccine, even if they are under 11 years of age. You can view recommended vaccine schedules at cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/parents-adults/resources-parents.html.
• Vaccines are recommended for hepatitis A, influenza, meningococcal disease and human papillomavirus, but are not required.

Exclusion from school

• Your student may be excluded from school if your school does not have an up-to-date vaccine record, certificate of exemption, or in-process plan for your student on file.
• If someone gets sick with a vaccine-preventable disease or there is an outbreak at your student’s school and your student has not received the vaccine for that disease, they may be excluded from school activities. That could mean lost learning time for them and lost work and wages for you. For example, if your student has not received a MMR vaccine, they may be excluded from school for 21 days after someone gets sick with measles.

Have questions?

• You may want to talk to a healthcare provider licensed to give vaccines or your local public health agency about which vaccines your student needs or if you have questions. You can read about the safety and importance of vaccines at SpreadTheVaxFacts.com , ImmunizeForGood.com, and cdphe.colorado.gov/immunization-education.

Fee Vaccinations

• For free health care and vaccination, DPS students can use any Denver Health Clinic. You can find your local public health agency at cdphe.colorado.gov/find-your-local-public-health-agency.

SBHC-Flyers-2022-2023-1Download

Vaccination records

• Please take your student’s updated vaccine record to school every time they receive a vaccine.
• Need to find your student’s vaccine record? It may be available from the Colorado Immunization Information System. Visit COVaxRecords.org for more information.

Exemptions

• If your student cannot get vaccines because of medical reasons, you must submit a Certificate of Medical Exemption to your school, signed by a health care provider licensed to give vaccines. You only need to submit this certificate once, unless your student’s information or school changes. You can get the form at cdphe.colorado.gov/vaccine-exemptions.
• If you choose not to have your student vaccinated according to the current recommended schedule because of personal belief or religious reasons, you must submit a Certificate of Nonmedical Exemption to your school.
• Nonmedical exemptions must be submitted annually at every new school year (July 1 through June 30th of the following year). There are two ways to file a nonmedical exemption.
  • File the Certificate of Nonmedical Exemption WITH a signature from an immunizing provider, OR
  • File the Certificate of Nonmedical Exemption received upon the completion of our online education module.

Downloadable certificates and our online education module are available at cdphe.colorado.gov/vaccine-exemptions.

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Denver Health Pediatrics at Denver Public Schools School-based Health IS OPEN!

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Please contact Denver Health school-based clinics for more information.

• Denver Health School Based Health Clinics
• Denver Health School Based Health Clinics E-Consent Form

Please make sure your student(s) bring their medication, completed medication form to the Nurse’s Office so we can ensure all students are able to return to Hamilton in the safest and healthiest way possible.

COVID-19 Vaccinations and New Protocols

UPDATE: DPS will no longer require schools to send general COVID-19 notification letters to families when there is a COVID-19 case reported in a school or workplace. Instead, we are encouraging families to check the COVID-19 Dashboard to see the latest updates regarding DPS cases. Please read this letter about COVID notifications to families.

This week, the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE) announced that its order requiring masks in all schools and childcare facilities will expire at the end of the day on Friday, Feb. 25. Please remember that masks are still required in all indoor school settings through Feb. 25. And they will still be strongly recommended even after the city’s mandate has expired.

As you know, our Denver Health School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) are now offering vaccinations for free at 18 locations across the city. For more information on COVID-19 vaccines and new protocols click on the link.