Conversations about vaccines—benefits versus risks, conspiracies versus truths, personal rights versus public safety—are not new to private school leaders. Both sides of the debate have strong opinions and can be very vocal. Schools must make decisions reflective of their mission and culture to best protect their students, faculty, and staff.
Your school’s admission policy protects your Admission Officers and other key administrators working with parents and prospective families. However, that’s just the surface of this topic. Over the past decade, there has been an increase in reports of schools where vaccination policies have been relaxed (or not enforced) experiencing serious outbreaks of illnesses, including whooping cough, measles, tuberculosis, and mumps—many of which haven’t been seen since the mid-20th century. In extreme cases, some campuses have been forced to shut down until the medical emergency was cleared by local officials.
There are no federal laws mandating vaccines for children attending public schools. There are, however, 50 state laws with varying degrees of exceptions—medical, religious, and philosophical—for children enrolled in public schools.
Of course, for private-independent schools, these laws might not apply unless it is written in the school’s policies that it follows state legislation regarding mandatory vaccines for school-age children. How a private school chooses to manage this slice of the risk management pie is based entirely on the culture and mission that defines the institution.
This is where the school’s risk management plan comes into effect. Schools dealing with an outbreak need to have reporting guidelines of when and how to communicate to families and staff, as well as to the proper state and government officials. There also needs to be policies for managing lost school hours, sanitizing facilities, and navigating future threats to your community.
According to an article published by the PhillyVoice, only 65% of school districts nationwide are prepared for infectious disease outbreak. Be proactive and have policies in place as part of your comprehensive risk management plan.
Defining an outbreak
- The school nurse or medical team should alert the Leadership Team if two or more people are showing similar symptoms in the same environment (e.g., classroom, lunchroom, playground)
- Be aware of trending local news concerning infectious disease outbreaks including influenza.
- Notice absenteeism among students and employees—especially for an extended duration.
Documenting and reporting
- As soon as an outbreak is suspected, document the number of affected students and staff, along with their symptoms, when symptoms appeared, classrooms impacted, and quarantine areas if appropriate.
- Notify families and community of confirmed infectious disease outbreaks.
- Alert families of actions taken on campus to contain risk.
- In some states, schools (nurses and health care personnel) must communicate confirmed outbreaks on campus to officials—especially if the situation involves an unusual or rare disease or illness. Know your state laws.
- Always retain confidentiality of affected persons.
For additional reading on how schools are managing anti-vaccine families, check out an article published by The Atlantic, How Schools Are Dealing With Anti-Vaccine Parents.
Additional ISM Resources:
The Source for Business and Operations Vol. 16 No. 9 A Risk Assessment Self-Exam
The Source for Business and Operations Vol. 15 No. 5 Reducing Risk When Hiring Vendors and Contractors
Additional ISM resources for members:
I&P Vol. 44 No. 9 Review Your School’s Employee Infectious Disease Policy
I&P Vol. 41 No. 5 The Risk Management Assessment Process
