Immunization Certificate (Form 3231)

All students entering or attending Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grades in Fayette County Public Schools are required to have a valid Georgia Certificate of Immunization issued by a licensed Georgia physician, Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Physician Assistant or qualified employee of the local Health Department or the State Immunization Office. The students must have been immunized against those diseases as so specified by the Georgia Department of Public Health. Parents/guardians are responsible for seeing that their children are properly immunized in accordance with Georgia law. For further information on immunization requirements, visit the Georgia Department of Public Health website at http://dph.georgia.gov/immunization-section.  For further information on immunizations, visit the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention website at https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/index.html

For any student attending school for the first time, a parent/guardian must submit a valid Georgia Certificate of Immunization. A student may attend school for up to 30 calendar days after first admittance without a valid certificate of immunization. A Georgia Certificate of Immunization is to be issued in accord with the current Official Immunization Schedules. A certificate may be issued for a student who has not received all required immunizations with the conditions that the student is in the process of completing the required immunizations and that immunizations are being scheduled with the shortest intervals recommended in the current Official Immunization Schedules. A certificate for a student who is in the process of receiving all required vaccines must have a date of expiration that relates to the date the next required immunization is due or the date on which a medical exemption must be reviewed. A new certificate must then be obtained and submitted to the school within 30 days after the expiration date. Students whose parents/guardians fail to renew said certificate within the time allotted shall not be permitted to continue attendance.

Georgia's immunization requirements for children attending seventh grade have been revised to align with the current Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).  Effective July 1, 2014, all children born on or after January 1, 2002 who are attending seventh grade, and children who are new entrants into a Georgia school in grades eight through twelve, must have received one dose of Tdap vaccine and one dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine.  Additionally, all students entering or transferring into 11th grade will need proof of a meningococcal booster shot (MCV4), unless their first dose was received on or after their 16th birthday.

The school shall accept immunization certificates signed by a physician licensed in the State of Georgia or a qualified representative of the health department stating that a child has a physical disability which in his/her opinion makes vaccination of one or all required immunizations inadvisable. A Georgia Certificate of Immunization indicating medical exemption must be reviewed by the physician and reissued annually.

The State Board of Education Rule 511-2-2-.07, Religious Objections to Required Immunizations states, “(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) below, a child shall be exempt from the required immunizations if the parent or legal guardian has filed with the school or childcare facility a completed affidavit on DPH Form 2208. (2) When the Department or a County Board of Health determines that an epidemic or the threat of an epidemic exists, the Department or Board shall immediately notify the governing authorities of all schools and childcare facilities within the affected area. Under those circumstances, the Department or Board may require immunization for those who object on the grounds of religious beliefs, and may prohibit attendance at schools or childcare facilities within the area by unimmunized children. (3) Persons who wish to register a religious objection to the vaccination of their child shall do so using the following DPH Form 2208 (available on the Georgia Department of Public Health website).” The Religious Objections to Required Immunizations Form is also available on the Fayette County Schools website, School Health Services “Flyers & Forms” page.

Certificate of Vision, Hearing, Dental and Nutrition Screening (Form 3300)

All students entering or attending Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade in Fayette County School System are required to have a valid Georgia Certificate of Vision, Hearing, Dental, and Nutrition. Screenings reported on the Certificate must have been conducted within one year prior to the time that the child is admitted for the first time to a public school. Vision, Hearing, Dental, and Nutrition Screenings may be conducted by a physician with an active Georgia license, by persons working under the supervision of a physician with an active Georgia license, by the local health department or by a school registered nurse. Vision Screenings also may be conducted by an optometrist with an active Georgia license, or by an employee of Prevent Blindness Georgia trained in vision screening. Hearing Screenings also may be conducted by a dentist with an active Georgia license, or by a dental hygienist with an active Georgia license. Nutrition Screenings also may be conducted by a dietician with an active Georgia license.