About 12% of Kenai Peninsula School District students have vaccination exemptions despite state vaccination requirements.
Measles, mumps, chickenpox, hepititis A and B, diptheria, pertussis, polio, rubella and tetnus are required vaccinations according to Pegge Erkeneff with the district.
Erkeneff: “We pulled a report the other day and it’s surprising how many do, considering we have nearly 9,000 students we have 833 religious exemptions for vaccinations as of this month and 227 for medical exemptions.”
She said that religious exemptions are required to be notarized each year.
We asked if the district has heard any concern from parents.
Erkeneff: “We haven’t and I checked with our coordinator in health services and she checked with her nurses and she hasn’t, in schools. I did call around to a few principals today to double check and they aren’t hearing anything that much, there is some talk in the news and definitely in the community so those conversations are happening with parents and certainly our school nurses are happy to talk to parents about any concerns and they do that on a regular basis with health screenings that are required by the state.”
For anyone interested in more on vaccinations or related materials, Erkeneff said she has just updated the information on the school district’s website.
