Public school rant #1.........

[Joanne]

I went to regiseter my oldest for High School. The first "Stop" was the Immunization table. If you don't have documentation they want, there is NO moving forward, no matter what.

 

I did have DS's records, ones that served all other settings just fine. But not school registration. So, called and then went to the medical office we've used most of the time we've lived here. This son was 8 when we moved here and so most of his vaccines were already administered. This office did not have any records (I don't know why they didn't request them from previous settings).

 

The records person had me wait a LONG time. After 45 very unproductive minutes in her office, she sent me to see if a local dr we saw briefly could fax her "something" and she could sign and notorize it. I called that office, who did administer some vaccines and they faxed it early yesterday afternoon.

 

I called her to follow up, twice, and nothing. I went by this am and she claims "No fax" and changes her story about what she can or will do to provide the information.

 

I call the other office while in her office asking that it be faxed AGAIN. It was. Mrs. Medical Records says she is busy and that she'll call me by 2:00. At 3:30 pm, I call the office and she "didn't get a fax and maybe I should go to the other office and get is since she can't do anything and hasn't gotten the dr. to approve it yet."

 

Did I mention I am registering a child for school? You know, something TIME ANCHORED? And I walked in the school with records that have worked in every other setting?

 

I can't get the AZ pediatrician to call me. His first pediatrician, from here, has died.

 

I called the other office; closed for the day. I guess I will be there, with apologies, tomorrow when they open. What a nightmare.

[Nakia]

Those kind of situations make me nuts fast. I'm so sorry you are having to deal with that. I hope you get it resolved quickly in the morning.

[Harriet Vane]

Bureaucracy . . . :banghead:

[Tidbits of Learning]

Go to the health dept. Most states have a set up where immunization records are on a database (the dr.'s office's send the immunization records to the health dept. database) and the health dept. can print out exactly what you need.

It is worth a shot.

[....]

Welcome to public school. :tongue_smilie: My kids went for 2 years and I've got some stories... It's really become a paperwork nightmare. I'm afraid to see what school's going to look like in 15-20 years. They'll want DNA samples "to confirm your child's identity" or some *&^%.

 

Our school district also thought we were all available to run up there for something every day. :confused:

[anissa]

It is worth a shot.

 

No pun intended? :lol: Hope you get it settled soon...this would make me rant too!

[Pat in MI]

I just registered my ds at a small charter school. They took just my card I have carried since he was born (the drs just writes the date on it when he was vaccinated) and made a copy of it. They also told me they can get the information online. They said drs. have to report this information online. I wonder why your school is giving you such a run around?? I'm so sorry you must go through this. :grouphug:

Blessings,

Pat

[Chris in VA]

ugh, I so relate. Because of beaurocratic crap like that, we had to administer one of the HiP shots that runs in a series (I think it's HiP, could be something else) three different times. It was something I should have protested but I was too stupid to know better.

 

I have to register dd tomorrow or early next week. Since we live in a rectory and don't have a lease or mortgage, I have to get a signed affidavit and get it notarized, saying we live here legally so she can get into our local elementary. What a PITA.

 

Hope things smooth out for you.

[mum]

There is a waiver to sign if you don't do immunizations. They never want to tell you about it. EVER. But if you ask, I guess they are obliged to pull it out. The lady at the registration table may not know anything, but your district office will. We delayed vaccinations, so at times my kids didn't have all that was required. I just signed the waiver. This year mine was due chicken pox vaccine, age 10, and I couldn't get a date scheduled for a while, so the nurse so kindly said, (at a new school, she'd never dealt with me before) "here's the waiver, just sign this until you get it done". It was the first time someone offered it to me, rather than me asking for it.

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

I'm registering my oldest for p/t enrollment. I have a plastic, embossed, credit-card size birth certificate (issued by the state) and it's not good enough. They don't accept them. You have to pay the state $10 to get a paper version. I think in this day of laser printers, a paper copy is more suspicious!

 

Welcome to the ps system. We don't ask why, we just do......or don't.

[Chrystal]

Take his shot records to the health department.

Report Mrs. Medical Records to the physician the next time you see him/her. That kind of service is not acceptable and I am sure that he/she would appreciate knowing what kind of people are representing the office to the patients.

Good Luck!

[DawnM]

Yes, I would go with this.

 

There is a religious exemption in every state and then some states have a non-religious exemption.....they don't tell you about it but legally they have to provide it and accept it.

 

Dawn

 

There is a waiver to sign if you don't do immunizations. They never want to tell you about it. EVER. But if you ask, I guess they are obliged to pull it out. The lady at the registration table may not know anything, but your district office will. We delayed vaccinations, so at times my kids didn't have all that was required. I just signed the waiver. This year mine was due chicken pox vaccine, age 10, and I couldn't get a date scheduled for a while, so the nurse so kindly said, (at a new school, she'd never dealt with me before) "here's the waiver, just sign this until you get it done". It was the first time someone offered it to me, rather than me asking for it.

[chiguirre]

I´ve done the vaccine exemption for TX for my sons. It will probably take less time than fooling around with the doctor´s office. I sent my letter and had the forms to notarize in hand in less than a week. They´ll even send you more than one so you have one on hand when it expires. Once you get the forms, any notary at a bank or copy shop can finish the process in less than 5 minutes.

[ktgrok]

depending on what state you are in it might be easier/faster to go to the health department to get a vaccine waiver. In florida I just have to say I want a religious waiver and they have to give it to me, no big deal. Might be easier than tracking down records in another state.

[Haiku]

The first school my oldest (now 16) went to accepted a letter from her specialist stating that that she was vaccinated to his satisfaction despite lacking several vaccines that her health issue precluded receiving. They accepted it, that is, until the state came to audit their files. Suddenly, the letter wasn't good enough and they wanted a complete vaccination record, from birth. Um, yeah, she was adopted from another country at an older age, we don't have that, and she's not going to be completely vaccinated anyway.

 

Ok, said they, she will be suspended until we have what we need.

 

Ok, said I, I am happy to call the state and explain to them how you are discriminating against a medically needy child who has an IEP stating that she is health impaired.

 

Suddenly, their lawyer decided that the letter from our specialist was good enough after all!!

 

Amazing, eh?

 

Tara