School Immunizations

• Once a parent/guardian has provided consent, visit #1 to the school will provide students with the first dose of both the Hepatitis B and HPV vaccines as well as the only dose of Menactra. Visit #2 will include the second dose of both the Hepatitis B and HPV vaccines.
• Information packages, including consent forms, will be sent home with all students in the fall of each school year.
• Parents/guardians are asked to review the package, complete all required information, sign the consent form and have their child return it to the school. Please return even if immunization consent is not given.
• If an information package is not received, please call the Health Unit at 625-5900 or your nearest branch office.

Please note that attempts are made to ensure the dates below are as updated and accurate as possible. However, dates can and do change frequently so we cannot guarantee the accuracy of these dates.

Current as of February 25, 2020

• Boosters will be given in the high schools.
• Information packages, including consent forms, will be sent home with all students in the fall of each school year.
• Parents/guardians are asked to review the package, sign the consent form and have their child return it to the school. Please return even if immunization consent is not given.
• Parents/guardians are asked to review the package, sign the consent form and have their child return it to the school.
• If an information package is not received, please call the Health Unit at 625-5900.

Please note that attempts are made to ensure the dates below are as updated and accurate as possible. However, dates can and do change frequently so we cannot guarantee the accuracy of these dates.

Current as of February 25, 2020

• All elementary school immunizations are given in Grade 7 as of September 2017. Visit #1 will include the first dose of both Hepatitis B and HPV vaccines. Visit #2 will include the one dose of Menactra. Visit #3 will include the second dose of both Hepatitis B and HPV vaccines.
• Boosters will be given in the high schools.
• Information packages, including consent forms, will be sent home with all students in the fall of each school year.
• Parents/guardians are asked to review the package, sign the consent form and have their child return it to the school. Please return even if immunization consent is not given.
• If an information package is not received, please call the nearest branch office in Red Rock, Marathon, Terrace Bay and Greenstone. For schools in Manitouwadge, call 1-888-294-6630.

Current as of February 25, 2020

If a child’s immunization record is not up-to-date according to the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA), parents/guardians will be contacted through a letter sent home by the TBDHU. The letter will provide details and instructions so a suspension can be avoided.

If you receive a letter, please review immediately and contact a TBDHU nurse; call 625-5900 in Thunder Bay or contact your nearest branch office. To avoid suspension, always keep your child's immunizations up-to-date according to Ontario's Routine Immunization Schedule, and report all immunizations to the TBDHU.

Under the Immunization of School Pupils Act, your child can be exempted from immunization for medical reasons or due to conscience or religious belief.

For Medical Reasons

You must fill out a Statement of Medical Exemption form that has been signed by a physician or nurse practitioner and submit it to the closest office of the TBDHU. It will indicate the reason for the exemption:

• your child has a medical condition that prevents them from receiving the vaccine
• there is evidence of your child’s immunity to the disease, making further immunization unnecessary

For Conscience or Religious Belief

1. Contact the TBDHU at 625-5900 or toll-free at 1-888-294-6630 to complete a mandatory education session that covers:

• Basic information about immunization
• Vaccine safety
• Immunization and community health
• Immunization law in Ontario

At the end of the session, you’ll receive a Vaccine Education Certificate signed and dated by the TBDHU.

2. Complete a Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief form and get it is signed by a commissioner for taking affidavits in Ontario.
3. Make copies of your certificate and your signed Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief form and submit the originals to you’re the nearest office of the Health Unit. It is important that you keep your copy for safe keeping.

Children with exemptions may be excluded from attending school (often for several weeks) in the event of an outbreak caused by one of the vaccine-preventable diseases noted in the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA).

Students who miss a dose of any vaccine (for example, is not at school on immunization day) can still receive it by visiting the Immunization Clinic or their health care provider (family doctor, etc.).