Tuesday, Jul 26 2011
Governor Signs Measure Extending Deadline To Obtain Pertussis Vaccine
On Monday, Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed a bill (SB 614), by Sen. Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego), that extends the deadline for students entering grades seven through 12 to show proof of being vaccinated for whooping cough, or pertussis, the Contra Costa Times reports (Harrington, Contra Costa Times, 7/25).
More than one million students in California have not complied with the pertussis shot requirement (Colliver, San Francisco Chronicle, 7/26).
Last September, lawmakers approved a measure requiring the inoculation in response to a spike in whooping cough cases. About 9,000 cases of whooping cough were reported in California last year, the highest since 1947.
Under the law, students in public and private schools will be barred from class until they submit paperwork that they received the whooping cough booster shot. Parents can opt out of the requirement for medical or personal reasons (California Healthline, 7/25).
Bill Implications
School districts have been struggling to comply with the mandate. Some districts have been concerned that they would be forced to turn students away for noncompliance.
SB 614 gives school districts up to a 30-day extension beyond the first day of the academic year to verify that students have received the whooping cough booster shot, known as Tdap (Contra Costa Times, 7/25).