In order to safeguard the school community from the spread of certain communicable diseases, students are required to undergo a health examination and to be immunized against such diseases, as follows.

Each child who is entitled to admittance to kindergarten, or is entitled to any other initial entrance into a public school in the District, must have a certification of a school-entry health examination performed within one (1) year before enrollment in school. Children and youths who are experiencing homelessness and children who are known to the department, as defined in F.S. 39.0016, shall be given a temporary exemption for thirty (30) school days. The school health services plan shall contain provisions to assist students in obtaining the health examinations. However, a child shall be exempted from the requirement of a health examination upon written request of the parent of the child stating objections to the examination on religious grounds.

Prior to admittance to or attendance in a public school in the District, grades kindergarten through 12, or any other initial entrance into a Florida public school, each child shall present or have on file with the school a certification of immunization for the prevention of those communicable diseases for which immunization is required by the Department of Health, and shall be screened for scoliosis at the proper age. Such certification shall be made on forms approved and provided by the Department of Health and shall become a part of each student’s permanent record, to be transferred when the student transfers, is promoted, or changes schools. The transfer of such immunization certification shall be accomplished using the Florida Automated System for Transferring Education Records and shall be deemed to satisfy the requirements of this paragraph.

Immunizations shall be required for poliomyelitis, diphtheria, rubeola, rubella, pertussis, mumps, varicella (chicken pox), tetanus, and other communicable diseases as determined by rules of the Department of Health.

The manner and frequency of administration of the immunization or testing shall conform to recognized standards of medical practice. Immunizations required by this policy are available at no cost from the county health department.

The provisions of this policy shall not apply if:

The school nurse is responsible for follow-up of each such student until proper documentation or immunizations are obtained. An exemption for thirty (30) days may be issued for a student who enters a juvenile justice program to permit the student to attend class until his/her records can be obtained or until the immunizations can be obtained. An authorized juvenile justice official is responsible for follow-up of each student who enters a juvenile justice program until proper documentation or immunizations are obtained.

No person licensed by this State as a physician or nurse shall be liable for any injury caused by his/her action or failure to act in the administration of a vaccine or other immunizing agent pursuant to the provisions of this policy if the person acts as a reasonably prudent person with similar professional training would have acted under the same or similar circumstances.

No member of the School Board or any of its employees shall be liable for any injury caused by the administration of a vaccine to any student who is required to be so immunized or for a failure to diagnose scoliosis pursuant to the provisions of this policy.

The parents of any child admitted to or in attendance at a public school, grades prekindergarten through 12, are responsible for assuring that the child is in compliance with the provisions of this policy.

Each public school, including public kindergarten, shall provide to the county health department director or administrator annual reports of compliance with the provisions of this policy. Reports shall be completed on forms provided by the Department of Health for each kindergarten and other grade as specified, and the reports shall include the status of children who were admitted at the beginning of the school year.

The presence of any of the communicable diseases for which immunization is required by the Department of Health in a public school shall permit the county health department director or administrator or the State Health Officer to declare a communicable disease emergency. The declaration of such emergency shall mandate that all students in attendance in the school who are not in compliance with the provisions of this policy be identified by the Board, and the school health and immunization records of such children shall be made available to the county health department director or administrator. Those children identified as not being immunized against the disease for which the emergency has been declared shall be temporarily excluded from school until such time as is specified by the county health department director or administrator.

Any child otherwise entitled to admittance to kindergarten or any other initial entrance into a Florida public or private school who is not in compliance with the requirements of this policy shall be denied admittance until such requirements are satisfied.

The provisions of this policy do not apply to those persons admitted to or attending adult education classes unless the adult students are under twenty-one (21) years of age.

Any immunization program conducted by the District requires prior approval of the Board and can only extend to those immunizations provided for by statute and Board policy.

F.S. 1003.22
F.A.C. 64D-3.046, Immunization Requirements: Public and Nonpublic Schools, Grades Preschool, Kindergarten through 12, and Adult Education Classes