CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools partnered with the Mecklenburg County Health Department to schedule free Tdap booster clinics for sixth-grade students. The clinics will be held in one middle school in each of the six geographic learning communities. They begin on Wednesday, Oct. 1.

“We know that hundreds of our students are still not up-to-date on the new Tdap booster shot,” said Nancy Langenfeld, director of coordinated school health services for CMS. “These clinics will give parents additional opportunities for their children to receive the required vaccination.”

The Tdap booster shot is a new state requirement for all students who are in the sixth grade and who have not had a booster shot containing tetanus in the past five years. The Tdap vaccine provides protection against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (also known as whooping cough).

The clinics will be open to all sixth graders from 3 – 6 p.m. Transportation is not provided and parents should accompany their child and bring their child’s immunization records. CMS is sending permission slips to all schools for distribution to students who need the vaccine. Parents must sign the form, indicate which site they will visit with their child, and return the form to their child’s school. Signed forms will be accepted as proof of appointments and students who were excluded because of noncompliance will be allowed to return to school. If the scheduled clinic is missed, the child will be excluded until the required proof of immunization is provided to the school.

Scheduled clinics where students can receive immunizations:

Wednesday, Oct. 1
Central Learning Community
Metro School
405 South Davidson Street

Thursday, Oct. 2
North Learning Community
Ranson Middle School
5850 Statesville Road

Wednesday, Oct. 8
East Learning Community
Albemarle Road Middle School
6900 Democracy Drive

Thursday, Oct. 9
West Learning Community
Kennedy Middle School
4000 Gallant Lane

Wednesday, Oct. 15
Northeast Learning Community
James Martin Middle School
7800 IBM Drive

Thursday, Oct. 16 (3:15 – 6 p.m.)
South Learning Community
Community House Middle School
9500 Community House Road

Students in the Achievement Zone may attend any of the vaccination clinics.

Parents may also call the Mecklenburg County Health Department at 704-336-6500, or C.W. Williams Health Center at 704-393-7720, to make an appointment for the Tdap booster or other immunizations. Parents are also encouraged to call their regular physicians.

All students must have proof of immunizations before entering school. The law allows up to 30 days from the start of school for students to meet the requirement and the 30 days ended on Sept. 23. Students who had not been immunized, or who had not brought in proof of immunizations, were excluded from school after that date. If a parent presents an appointment card with confirmation of appointment (including date, time and provider) scheduled prior to October 24, 2008 the principal will allow the child to attend school.

The new immunization rules also affect kindergarten students, who are now required to have a second mumps vaccine. Not all kindergarten students will be affected by the new rules because most children already receive two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine by age four.