Student Health Policy
Our goal is to support healthy learners through a school environment that protects and advocates for the health of our students. We also support parents’ efforts to provide a healthy diet and daily activities for their children. Therefore, if your child is experiencing symptoms possibly related to a communicable disease (i.e. rhinorrhea, fever, cough, fatigue), please do not send him/her to school. Abnormal symptoms may be briefly assessed by your child’s teacher and reported to the School Office. In the event of concern, the School Office will make every effort to reach the child’s Mom or Dad so that he/she may be sent home.
California Immunization Requirements
Grace Christian Schools follows California immunization requirements as listed in the California Code of Regulations, Title 17, Division 1, Chapter 4 (http://eziz.org/assets/docs/IMM-1080.pdf). Parents must present their child’s Immunization Record to the School Office as proof of immunization before the first day of school. When requesting your child’s proof of immunization, remember to allow your provider’s office ample time to retrieve the immunization information so that your child may begin smoothly on the first day of school. Per the Department of Health, in the event of an outbreak of an immunized disease, an unvaccinated child will be required to remain home for an incubation period of up to 21 days. Please note, tuition will continue to be due and payable.
Personal Belief Exemptions
As of January 1, 2016, personal belief exemptions (PBEs) are no longer available for vaccines that are currently required in California for entry into child care or a private/public school. Families with PBEs already on file will remain valid until the child reaches the next grade span, typically at transitional kindergarten/kindergarten or 7th grade. For more information about SB77, please see http://www.shotsforschool.org/laws/sb277faq/.
The Impact on GCS Elementary
If your child is currently enrolled in the elementary program, and you have a PBE form on file, it will remain valid until your child moves on to 7th grade or until your child transfers to another school. If your child is enrolled in the preschool program, and you have a PBE form on file that meets law requirements, he/she will be grandfathered into our GCS elementary program.
For parents enrolling their child in kindergarten at GCS after January 1, 2016, the new SB77 law will be in place and any previously signed PBE form will be void. When a child needs to begin vaccinations, he/she may begin school with one dose of each required vaccine and receive the following vaccination doses as scheduled by the health care provider. Mandatory follow-up and scheduled vaccines must be adhered to in order to continue attendance at school. For more information, please see the Conditional Admission Immunization Schedule. It is important to note that only PBEs are discussed in SB77; medical exemptions are not discussed and need to be determined by your child’s physician. As updates and new information are released, we will notify our families.