IMMUNIZATIONS FOR EMPLOYEES 2123
1. PURPOSE AND PHILOSOPHY
Educational institutions are potential high-risk areas for transmission of vaccine-preventable diseases. While immunization is an important health requirement for students in Utah schools, it is equally important for staff in these settings to be protected against vaccine-preventable diseases. Employee immunization can decrease the number of days teachers, staff, and students miss due to illness. Absence due to sickness causes disruption in class schedules resulting in missed educational learning opportunities. More importantly, teachers, staff, and students who come to school ill can spread disease. Additionally, vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks in school can result in enormous costs for staff, students, parents, employers, and public health.
Sevier School District supports the recommendations from the Utah Department of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The following procedures will be followed in order to benefit the health and well-being of students, employees, and the community of Sevier School District:
2. EMPLOYEE REQUIREMENTS
Provide proof of recommended immunization or opt out as explained in “Opt Out” below. Under the guidelines of this policy at the time of concept, the due date for proof or opt out is October 15, 2014. Thereafter, all new employees must show that they have started the process of obtaining the proof of recommended immunizations or opt out before the first day of school for the year in which they were hired. The due date for the proof or immunizations will be the 15th of October of each year for all new hires.
CDC Recommended Immunizations for all Sevier School District Employees |
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Vaccine |
Persons Born Before 1957 |
Persons Born In or After 1957 |
MMR* (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) |
No immunization needed |
2 doses of MMR, at least 1 month apart |
Td/Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis (whooping cough)) |
1 dose of Tdap, then Td booster every 10 years |
|
Varicella (chickenpox) |
2 doses or history of disease |
|
Hepatitis A |
2 doses |
|
Hepatitis B |
3 doses |
|
Influenza |
Annual influenza vaccine |
Opt Out - The employee may opt out by signing the Sever School District Declination Form, available at Sevier School District Human Resources.
If an employee chooses to opt out, the school rule for excluding employees in the event of an outbreaks is as follows: Utah Administrative Code R386-702-5 2(c): "If, in the opinion of the local health officer it is necessary or advisable to protect the public's health that any person shall be kept from contact with the public, the local health officer shall establish, maintain and enforce involuntary treatment, isolation and quarantine as provided by Section 26-6-4."
In the event that an employee does opt out and is required not to have contact with the public, the employee may follow Sevier School District Leave policy #2045. All required days of absence beyond use of leave would be leave without pay. An employee may also use vacation if their position is connected with that benefit.
The District will maintain a pool of substitutes that have met the requirements of the recommended immunizations to be used in the case of an outbreak. The District subfinder system will be shut down if an incident develops and only those substitutes in the above-mentioned pool will be authorized to work.
3. PROCEDURE
An employee who provides proof of having had the disease is not required to have the immunization. The only acceptable proof would be a blood drawn antibody titer. An antibody titer is a blood test confirming immunity against a disease. This is available through your doctor’s office.
A record of immunizations includes an immunization card with dates, a health department immunization record. School District nurse will input your immunization records to your file on USIIS and provide you a copy for your records. If you have a history of chickenpox you will need to sign the USIIS record.
Approved 10/8/14
Revised 11/09/22