Deschutes County students excluded due to lack of immunization records

(Update: Redmond schools did not exclude students from online classes)

Including 101 in Bend-La Pine; Crook County schools report 29

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Deschutes County's three public school districts reported that 181 students did not have updated immunization records by Wednesday, the state’s annual Exclusion Day deadline But dozens in Redmond were allowed to continue online learning, officials said.

The tally of exclusion orders includes 101 Bend-La Pine Schools students, 75 in the Redmond School District and five in the Sisters School District, according to Morgan Emerson of Deschutes County Health Services.

That’s a small number of the nearly 1,000 exclusion notices sent to parents in the county earlier this month, advising them of incomplete or missing immunization records and the coming deadline. That total of 933 orders included 720 public school students and 264 who attend private schools and child care facilities, Morgan said.

The Bend-La Pine figure of 101 students excluded represents about just under .6 percent of the 17,378 student enrollment as of Feb. 1, officials said.

The 75 Redmond students represent just over 1% of the 7,000 students total, district spokeswoman Sheila Miller said.

But Kim Kirk, the Redmond district's head nurse, said they decided not to exclude any students from virtual learning this year.

"We felt that with all of the hardships our students and families have endured so far, excluding them from their online lessons would be counter-productive at best," Kirk said in a statement.

"We have 75 students who have not met the immunization requirements for this year. Our nurses are working with these families to bring them each into compliance.

"Students who have not met the requirements will be excluded from coming onto our campuses starting today and until they have met the requirements. Our students who plan to continue with full-time online learning for this year will be reassessed for immunization compliance in the fall," Kirk added.  

In the Crook County School District, 29 students were on the exclusion list, out of a current enrollment of 3,121 students, Communications Director Jason Carr said, making for “an extremely high vaccination rate of 99%.” He said school nurses were working with those families on updating the vaccination records.

State law says all children in public and private schools, Head Start and certified child care facilities must have up-to-date documentation on require immunizations, or have an exception.

The exclusion numbers for children in child care or pre-school won't be available until early March, when summary reports are due, Emerson said.

The Oregon Immunization Program had noted earlier that schools also were given the option of blocking remote learning access for children without current immunization records.

Last year, more than 21,000 letters were sent to Oregon parents, advising of the need to get the immunizations or records up to date. Nearly 3,300 were excluded from school or child care when the deadline arrived.

Morgan explained that updated immunization records are required for students being taught only online because they “are likely to be in attendance at the school for various reasons during the school year, even if they are taking classes online,” from counseling and extra-curricular activities to IT help, getting school supplies and the like.

The state law requires schools to report any student without updated immunization records who is on campus five or more times during the school year, for any reason. Once the updated records are provided, the student can return immediately, Morgan said.