School Immunizations

Schools will send home a package to all parents/guardians. The package will include:

• Consent Form
• Parent Information Letter
• Ministry of Health Fact Sheet on School Vaccines

Immunizations for Grade 7 students were cancelled during the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 school years due to pandemic restrictions. Students can also receive their Grade 7 vaccines through their health care provider.

Below are the clinic dates for the 2021/2022 school year. Information for at-home learners can be found in the tab below.

City of Thunder Bay and Surrounding Area

District Communities

Students needing their Grade 7 vaccines who are learning from home can access immunizations in the following ways:

• Make an appointment with their health care provider and ask the provider to report the vaccines given to TBDHU.
• Those without a health care provider can make at appointment at the TBDHU Immunization Clinic.

• Ontario's Routine Immunization Schedule: Grade 7
• Vaccines for Children at School

Immunizations for secondary school students were cancelled during the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 school years due to pandemic restrictions. Below are the clinic dates for schools in the City of Thunder Bay and surrounding area for the 2021/2022 school year.

Opportunities for students in the District communities will be available soon and will be posted on this page and shared with each community.

Students can also receive their immunizations through their health care provider.

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. Complete a mandatory education session via video (Vaccine Education Video - YouTube) that covers:

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

At the end of the session, contact a TBDHU vaccine nurse at 625-5900 or toll-free at 1-888-294-6630 and discuss the next steps so you can receive a Vaccine Education Certificate signed and dated by the TBDHU.

2. Complete a Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief form and have it 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.).