Update: High School District Has Only 60% Compliance on Tdap Vaccinations

Updated at 2:35 p.m. Tuesday.

Forty percent of students in the Grossmont Union High School District have yet to provide proof of having the pertussis booster shot, or Tdap vaccine, a district official said Tuesday.

“Our latest count shows that only 60 percent of our students have met the pertussis booster requirement and have provided the proper documentation to their schools,” said Catherine Martin, a district spokeswoman.

She said the district aims for 100 percent compliance by the first day of school—Sept. 6 for campuses including Grossmont High School, Santana, West Hills, Monte Vista and Mount Miguel.

“The state extended the deadline to 30 days after the start of school,” Martin said. “Our emphasis is on meeting the legal requirement before school starts.”

Martin couldn’t provide compliance rates at individual schools. The number of students who “opt out” via personal-belief exemptions also was unavailable.

But Helix Charter High School, which classes started Aug. 10, boasts more than 90 percent compliance, said Rani Goyal, its executive director.

“We have 238 students who have not gotten the Tdap immunization,” Goyal said Tuesday afternoon. “This is less than 10 percent of our school’s enrollment.”

The district has been vigilant about informing parents, Martin said.

“During the past school year and throughout the summer, we’ve been working with our parents to raise the profile of this important issue, including sending letters home, issuing automated phone calls, Web alerts and newsletters,” Martin said.

She said this effort is important to the district on two levels: “We want to be in compliance with the law, and we want to protect all of our students from this contagious disease. … Our goal is to ensure that students are safe and healthy and not missing out on any part of their educational experience.”

The Tdap requirement is a result of Assembly Bill 354, which took effect July 1 and requires tweens and teens through 12th grade—in public and private schools—to show proof of having received the pertussis booster shot, or Tdap, to enroll in school.

According to a state FAQ, personal-belief exemptions are allowed. But the state Department of Public Health says:

A parent or guardian may have a child exempted from required immunizations if immunization is contrary to his/her beliefs. Schools have standardized procedures for parents and guardians who request a personal beliefs exemption. Exemptions to immunization should not be taken because of convenience. Unimmunized students are at greater risk of contracting diseases and spreading them to their families, schools and communities. Schools should maintain an up-to-date list of students with exemptions, so that these students can be excluded from school quickly if an outbreak occurs.

Medical exemptions also are allowed, with the state saying: “Physicians (MD or DO) may grant in writing an exemption for students for whom immunizations are not medically indicated, which occurs infrequently.”

An estimated 40,000 middle and high school students still needed to be vaccinated or show proof they’ve received the vaccine last week; 21,000 of those attend school in the San Diego Unified School District, the county said.

AB 354 was passed after last year’s pertussis epidemic, which set  records for whooping cough cases statewide, including San Diego County, where 1,144 cases were reported. This year, 335 pertussis cases have been reported to date.

Pertussis is a highly contagious disease that can spread quickly and can be deadly. In 2010, two county infants died from complications of the disease.

For more information about Tdap or the vaccination clinics, visit sdiz.org or call 211. More information is available at shotsforschool.org, produced by the state Department of Public Health.