CARMEL - Thousands of students won't be allowed back in school in two weeks if they don't have the right shots. Hamilton County families are facing a big deadline for immunizations.
Emily Denham recently got her sixth grade shots. Had she not gotten her shots, she would not be allowed to attend school in Noblesville after September 14. So her mom decided it was time.
"Procrastination, I guess, like everybody else," said Carie Denham.
Most kids got the additional shots last year, but the state does allow a 20-day waiver for parents to catch up this year. IPS confronted the issue a year ago, which resulted in huge delays in getting the shots and getting kids back into the classroom.
"The kids that we are looking at this year are the ones who are in the sixth grade and those others who have not had their second varicella, which is chickenpox," said Rae Walls.
Carmel Schools may be hit the hardest. The school allowed parents a year to get the immunizations now required, but over a thousand students have yet to do so.
"If we don't have your immunizations, reach us by September 12, we will expect you not to return to school until you have those," said Dr. Steve Dillon.
Emails will be going out this Friday (Sept. 2) to those students who still need to be immunized. Michelle Carlton didn't wait.
"I called the school nurse to have her verify, to make sure they were up to date. I got the thumbs up. All good," she said.
Lisa Phillips and her son Isaiah checked in to the Hamilton County Health Department on Tuesday. The department administers the shots on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
"He's my oldest, so I didn't get in and the school was great about reminding us, but we have until September 12 to do it, so today was the day," Phillips said.
"The first, they were easy, but the last two, they felt like a strong sting," Isaiah said as he got his shots.
But after that, Isaiah was in the clear to go back to school and back to the football practice field at Heritage Christian.
Indiana requires each and every child to be immunized against diphtheria, pertussis - which is whooping cough - tetanus, measles, rubella, polio and the mumps. Every child entering kindergarten or first grade should be immunized against Hepatitis B and chickenpox.
The number of Indiana teenagers immunized against these diseases has increased by 60-70 percent from 2009 to 2010.
