Position Statement
Immunizations for West Virginia Public Schools
The West Virginia Council of School Nurses (WVCOSN) supports West Virginia
immunization laws and rules for required and recommended immunizations for all students
attending public schools, whether voluntary or compulsory. The utilization of the yearly
published age-appropriate, research-based “Recommended Immunization Schedule for Persons
Aged 0-18” from the United States Department of Health and Human Services(USDHHS) and
Centers for Disease Control(CDC) should be the gold standard for determining the yearly school
entry requirements. The recommended immunizations schedules for persons 0-18 years are
approved by the Advisory Committee on Immunizations Practices, the American Academy of
Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians.
The West Virginia Bureau for Public Health should have the ability to establish
recommendations for school immunization requirements based on the USDHHS and CDC yearly
recommendations. The current minimum requirements are necessary to support an environment
conducive to learning while practicing effective disease prevention especially for those already
immunocompromised or chronically ill and attending schools. Since the creation of vaccinations,
several communicable diseases have been eradicated. The safety and welfare of WV public
school students is dependent upon immunization requirements.
The WVCOSN supports “medical exemptions only”. Medical exemptions should be
based on a valid medical contraindication or precaution to a particular vaccine from a
physician who has treated or examined the child. The local health officer in the county
where the child attends school should be consulted for any questionable medical
exemptions.
Devised: 01/10/08
References
Journal of Adolescent Health. (2006). Adolescent Immunizations: A
Position Paper of the society for Adolescent Medicine. Retrieved on March
2006 from
https://www.adolescenthealth.org/PositionPaper_Immunization.pdf.
Salmon, Daniel. (August 13, 2004). Factors Associated With Refusals of
Childhood Vaccines Among Parents of School-Aged Children.
Retrieved on May 2006 from www.archpediatrics.com.
Salmon, Daniel. (October 11, 2006). Nonmedical Exemptions to School
Immunization Requirements. Retrieved on October 2006 from
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/296/14/1757.
United States Department of Health and Human Services and Center for
Disease Control and Prevention. (2007). Recommended
Immunization Schedule for Persons Aged 0-18. United States.
West Virginia Legislature. (1987). W.Va. Code §16-3-4. Retrieved
December 10, 2007 from
http://www.legis.state.wv.us/WVCODE/16/masterfrmFrm.htm.
West Virginia State Board of Education. (2007). Policy 2525 (126CSR28). Retrieved
December 10, 2007 form http://wvde.state.wv.us/policies/.
DISCLAIMER:
The “Recommendation” of the West Virginia Council of School Nurses (WVCOSN) is not representative of West
Virginia State Code or West Virginia State Board of Education recommendation or policy. This is a
recommendation based on consensus, evidence-based practice reviews and current research from the WVCOSN.
The WVCOSN is set forth by W.Va. Code §18-5-22.
The certified school nurse is responsible for utilizing nursing judgment and skill to determine the safest delivery of
health care on an individual case-by-case situation in the West Virginia public school setting while protecting the
welfare and health of the student. Every situation is unique and requires a collaborative team approach lead by the
certified school nurse, which includes, but not limited to, the student, parents/guardians, school administrator,
experts in the field and the student’s primary health care provider, at the local level.
Devised: 01/10/08