Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A officials will allow some schools in the district to serve as H1N1 swine flu vaccination sites next year.
Four School Board members voted in favor of the vaccination program at the Nov. 5 meeting.
Board member Karen Siston abstained from voting on the measure. Board member Janet Hughes cast the lone dissenting vote, and said parents should consult with their physicians about the vaccinations.
“We’re not a medical facility, we’re an educational institution,” Hughes said.
The voluntary vaccination program is a recommendation by the Cook County Department of Public Health. The administration of the vaccines will be done by medical professionals.
“District 113A’s student population represents the demographic that has been hardest hit with the H1N1 flu strain,” said board member Lisa Wright. “If we can provide it to 10 students or 100 students, we should.”
The tentative vaccination date for District 113A is Jan. 14.
Assistant Superintendent Mary Gricus told board members the date could change.
“This is a fluid program,” she said. “Everything is at the whim of when the vaccine arrives.”
The program would be free to students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
Children under age 10 would need a second dose of the vaccine, which would then be the parent’s responsibility.
Lemont parent Brenda Douglass said she and her husband are taking the “wait and see” approach.
“I am not actively seeking the vaccine for my children,” she said. “But (I) may take them up on it in January.”
She has concerns about the H1N1 vaccine, which she said is relatively new and untested. She hopes by January more testing will have taken place.
There are no lung or other immune system issues in her family, Douglass added.
“For those people, I can understand the urgency,” she said.
Parent Michele Metzler said her children are currently on a wait list at their pediatrician’s office.
“So if we can get it there or somewhere else first, we will do so,” she said. “Otherwise we will wait until the district vaccination day.”
She said the program is a great initiative by the county and district.
“For those that may not have access to medical care, this is excellent,” she said. “I hope many parents will take advantage of the program.”
Parent Marianne Melvin said she would take advantage of the program.
“I think the school setting is a great geographic location,” she said. “People who might normally avoid the doctor's office, or find it difficult to get an appointment, could access this resource. Schools are a huge part of any community so what better venue to use as a public health service?”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that children and young people from six months through age 24 receive the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available.
