Dear Vanguard School families,
As we enjoy these summer days, I want to remind you of a very important step related to the health of your student and the larger school community. I am sharing a ‘Call to Action for Routine Vaccinations’ sent out to all Chester County schools from the Chester County Health Department’s Director, Jeanne Franklin (Click here to view the document). I realize our student population represents at least 8 counties in PA, but I strongly believe the message in this ‘Call to Action’ is relevant to every family planning to send their student to The Vanguard School in September. Please reach out to your county office that is responsible for public health and discuss the options available to you in your home county.
As the letter indicates, certain vaccines are required for enrollment and participation in schools. We send reminders to all families about those required vaccines. While the COVID-19 vaccine is not required by the PA Department of Education at this time, I am asking all families of students ages 12 years and older to please consider allowing your student to receive the available COVID-19 vaccines depending on your student’s age.
As of this writing, the public health/infectious disease experts are indicating that the COVID-19 vaccines available to all of us (again, 12 years and older) offer significant protection against the known variants of COVID-19. I hope that everyone reading this letter is motivated enough to at least explore the option of having your child vaccinated against COVID-19. However, as the letter reminds us, all students must receive required immunizations prior to or within 5 days of the first day of school in order to remain in the program. That means all immunizations must be on record here at The Vanguard School no later than Tuesday, September 14, 2021!
As July begins to unfold, I want to wish you all a safe, sunny and happy summer!
Best,
Grace Fornicola
Executive Director
