Tdap deadline extended

After the Oct. 1 extended deadline, students who haven’t turned in their Tdap vaccine record will be prevented from returning to school until it is turned in.According to Samo nurse Nora McElvain, there are currently 125 students at Samo who have not turned in their Tdap records. Due to the equally large numbers in many other schools, the state has extended the original paperwork deadline of the first day of school by 30 days.  When the Oct. 1 deadline arrives, the students who are still missing their vaccine verification will be sent home until they turn in their records. McElvain says that this does not only affect the students, but the school at large.“This will cause lack of funding for the school until the students return and the students will miss work in their classes,” McElvain said.The school is paid by the state for the number of students attending daily. If many students are missing, the school will lose a significant amount of money. Students will also lose valuable learning time.“I think you’re walking that fine line of wanting all students safe and vaccinated and interrupting the learning process,” I-House Principal Renée Semik said.Students can receive the shot for free at Samo, available through the nurse’s office. The Venice Family Clinic also comes to Samo twice a week to administer the shot, but the school has permission to give it on any school day.The Tdap vaccine covers diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough. Although everyone receives a similar shot as an infant, another shot is required after 11 to 12 years of age.According to McElvain, high school students are usually the age group that carries whooping cough most frequently. Due to an increased rate in infant fatality caused by whooping cough, the state has made it a law to get the vaccination.Freshman Axtlan Zahedi-Mitchell is one of the students who has not received his Tdap shot, but has turned in a waver stating that he has formal permission from a parent to not receive the shot. Zahedi-Mitchell says that his mom read books about vaccinations when he was young, and decided against them because they can cause disorders such as autism. He has never had a shot in his life.Samo 10th grader Jessica Howard says that she thinks students should’ve already turned in their vaccination paper work, as Zahedi-Mitchell has done and they need to be taken out of school when the deadline comes – even if it interferes with their education.“It’s not beneficial to their education,” Howard said. “But it’s beneficial to my health.”Mia Lopez-ZubiriStaff Writermlopezzubiri@thesamohi.com