JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Duval County School leaders are making an effort to catch up in one category the district is way behind on - vaccinations.
A recent Florida Department of Health report shows less children than ever are getting their required vaccines.
According to that report, Duval County is the worst in Florida.
The district responded to the new data with a statement - stating "students will be excluded from school buildings until those records or valid exemptions are provided."
The Florida Department of Health reports the coronavirus pandemic continues to take a toll on vaccination records in Florida schools.
For the third year in a row, vaccinations in Kindergarteners dropped, now at 91.7% for the 2021-22 school year.
That is down a full two points from the last year before the pandemic, 2018-19.
The same can be said about seventh graders, tumbling to 94.3%.
No district has taken it on the chin more than Duval County, the only county in the state with less than 90% of all seventh graders getting their mandatory vaccinations - all the way down at 84%, meaning one in six seventh graders did not have their required shots by the end of the 2022 school year.
District leaders said in a statement the numbers are concerning, and they are doing three things to fix them:
1) They've launched a new software to log records more efficiently.
2) District staff is now overseeing exemptions, a job the health department is supposed to do, but district leaders say it needed more direct oversight.
3) Retraining principals and front office staff on the procedures for issuing and clearing exemptions.
District leaders say the board is aware of the drastically low numbers from last year's report, and thanks to the new software, the district says the actual number of vaccinated kids is higher than the below 90% the state is reporting.
The district is reaching out to families without updated records to fill the gaps, and if those families don't fill the gaps, those students will not be allowed to come to school.
There's no firm date for that - each student's situation will be handled on their own timeline.
A district spokesperson says there is not a virtual option for kids without their shots or valid medical or religious exemptions.
However, he says it'll ultimately be a small number of students who won't be allowed to come to school, and if parents haven't heard from the district already, they're probably just fine.
Parents with concerns over vaccination documentation can bring the issue directly to their school's front desk.
DCPS's full statement on the low vaccination report is as follows, with First Coast News' questions in bold:
Is DCPS concerned about this decline in required immunizations?
Yes, and the district is taking steps to improve the numbers in the report.
- First, we have completed our integration with Florida Shots to import immunization data directly from Florida Department of Health records directly into Focus. This should increase the speed and efficiency in getting many immunization records for families who do not have a written record.
- Second, we’ve tasked district level staff to review and manage exemptions in a timely manner. While this has been the responsibility of the local Department of Health, it is imperative that we provide more direct oversight.
- Third, we are retraining principals and front office staff on the procedures for issuing and clearing exemptions.
Is the district doing anything to improve those numbers?
Yes (see above).
Will the district inform parents and school board about this decline?
The school board is informed. Thanks to the work being done to collect data from Florida Shots and to obtain shot records from families, the actual number of students who are not immunized is much lower than this report reflects. We are communicating directly with impacted families who need to provide immunization records or valid exemptions. If those records are not produced, those students will be excluded from school buildings until those records or valid exemptions are provided.