C.O. students had to stay home on Exclusion Day

Wednesday was Exclusion Day across the state, meaning children who did not have up to date vaccination records were not allowed in schools.

Children whose records were not up to date were sent home.

In Deschutes County, the Bend-La Pine Schools excluded 71 students Wednesday, while the Redmond School District excluded 45 students.

Kim Kirk, a school nurse in the Redmond School District, said part of her job is making sure that the students at school are up to date on their vaccinations.

She said the work starts early in the year and she is able to get the numbers down by the deadline, but in some cases, children still don’t get their vaccinations for one reason or another.

“These diseases that can be prevented now are huge, and you know, a lot of the younger families, the younger parents don’t remember what it was like to see the diseases in the community. But they’re still out there, especially as more families choose not to vaccinate,” Kirk said. “It’s very important for the community as a whole.”

The schools are responsible for clearing kids and their records, but once the records are up to standards, they can return to school.

Dr. Terri Mucha with Family Choice Urgent Care recommends getting your child vaccinated not just for their benefit but for the benefit of others around them.

“Well the biggest thing is that, because we have eradicated these diseases, kids that aren’t vaccinated are very vulnerable to getting a life-threatening illness. They’re not protected any more,” Mucha said. “In addition, there is something called herd immunity., and when a certain percentage of the population becomes vaccinated, then we are able to protect all of the population.”

Mucha added that vaccinations can be a bit confusing, so it is important to talk to your doctor about them to get more information.

No one can be turned away from a local health department because they can’t pay for the vaccinations, and many pharmacies are able to vaccinate children who are over the age of 7 as well.