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Immunizations & Vaccines

Be Wise and Immunize

School Regulations

Pennsylvania Health Law mandates that all students have complete immunization records upon entering school, at any grade.

For Attendance in All Grades

Children are required to have on the first day of school:

  • 4 doses of tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (usually given as DTP or DTaP or DT or Td)
  • 4 doses of polio
  • 2 doses of measles, mumps, and rubella (usually given as MMR)
  • 3 doses of hepatitis B
  • 2 doses of varicella (chicken pox) or evidence of immuinty

Attending 7th Grade

Children are required to have on the first day of 7th grade:

  • 1 additional dose of tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis (Tdap) (if 5 years has elapsed since last tetanus immunization)
  • 1 dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV)

Attending 12th Grade

Children are required to have on the first day of 12th grade:

  • 1 additional dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV)

Unless the child has a medical or religious/philosophical exemption, a child must have the above vaccines on the first day of school or risk exclusion. For more information, visit the PA Department of Health's Don't Wait Vaccinate Website, contact your health care provider, or call 1-877-PA-HEALTH.

Pennsylvania’s school immunization requirements can be found in 28 PA.CODE CH.23 (School Immunization.) 

For more information, download the Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule Ages 0-18 or the Adult Immunization Schedule Ages 19 and Over.

Pertussis - Whooping Cough

Pertussis, also known as Whooping Cough, is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection spread by coughing and sneezing. Symptoms can include violent coughing, difficulty breathing, and vomiting. In the last 30 years, cases of pertussis have been on the rise in the United States, especially among teens, preteens, and infants younger than 6 months of age. Pertussus in preteens or teens can range from mild to severe. About 1 in 5 infants with pertussis gets pneumonia. The infection often causes a lengthy illness that can lead to repeated doctor visits and missed school.

Vaccine protection for pertussis, tetanus, and diphtheria can fade with time. These prior vaccines are usually given together in one shot. Pre-teens going to the doctor for their regular check-up at age 11 or 12 years should get a booster vaccine, called Tdap. Teens and young adults who didn't get a booster as a pre-teen should get one dose when they visit their health care provider.

For more information, please visit the US Center for Disease Control - Pertussis Webpage.

For Parents of Unvaccinated Children

If an outbreak of a communicable disease (such as Chicken Pox or Measles) which your child is not immunized against should occur at AGCS, your child would be excluded from attending school during the incubation period of the disease. 

In alignment with recommendataions from the Chester County Health Department and based on current PA and CDC protocol, the following exclusion periods for non-immunized students and staff would be in effect should an outbreak occur at Avon Grove Charter School:

Measles

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a measles virus. Measles begins with mild to moderate fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a sore throat. Two or three days after symptoms begin, tiny white spots (Koplik's spots) may appear inside the mouth. Three to five days after the start of symptoms, a red or reddish-brown rash appears. The rash usually begins on a person's face at the hairline and spreads downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. A diagnosis of measles is confirmed by laboratory testing.

Exclusions

  • Individuals identified as having a confirmed case of measles will be excluded for 4 days from onset of rash.
  • Based on the highly contagious nature of the measles virus, when ONE confirmed case of measles has been identified, any person who is unimmunized for any reason shall be excluded from school until immunized or for 14 days after the LAST reported case in that school. This exclusion is based on current State and CDC protocol.

Mumps

Mumps is a contagious illness that is caused by the mumps virus. Mumps typically starts with a few days of fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, and loss of appetite. These symptoms are followed by swelling of the salivary glands. Mumps is spread by droplets of saliva or mucus from the mouth, nose, or throat of an infected person. Mumps can be spread to others from 3 days before the salivary glands begin to swell to 5 days after the swelling begins. Mumps is confirmed by laboratory testing.

Exclusions

  • Individuals indentified as having a confirmed case of mumps will be excluded for 9 days from onset of parotitis.
  • When TWO or more confirmed cases of Mumps are epidemiologically linked at one location, it is considered and "outbreak". It is important to note that any person who is unimmunized for any reason shall be excluded from school until immunized or for 26 days after the onset of the last parotitis reported case in that school. This is a Pennsylvania state regulation based on the long incubation period.


There are other communicable diseases that during an outbreak cause unimmunized people to be excluded from school. Any other disease outbreaks will be communicated as needed. Please respect healthcare privacy laws and realize information disclosed may be limited to protect the identity of others. If you have any questions about this policy, please contact the Nurses at State Road or Kembelsville.