Before the start of the 2016-2017 school year, all seniors were required to receive the meningococcal vaccine. This requirement was put into place by the Missouri Immunization Law; however, many students did not obey this new change.

On the first day of the school year, 211 seniors did not provide the office with records or did not receive the shot, and therefore many of the students were sent home. Before the start of the school year the office provided all parents and students with several notices clarifying the new requirement, but almost half of the senior class ignored the information.

Nurse Pam Frederich stated that she was surprised so many students did not provided their records ahead of time because so many reminders were sent to them.

The main reason that the vaccine was required for seniors was that in order to live in a dorm on a college campus they must have this vaccine. Many outbreaks of meningitis have been recorded in the past at many colleges, so to prevent such outbreaks schools started requiring all incoming freshmen to receive this vaccine.

This requirement will continue to be in place for the next senior class. The office and nurses hope that next year this process will be more understood and followed.

Nurse Pam said “Be responsible for your own health.”