No shots for your kid? Jail time for you!

[American TG Man]

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. - Two months into the school year, more than 2,000 students in this suburban county outside the nation’s capital had yet to get the shots they needed to attend class. So the school system decided it was through playing nice.

Parents in Prince George’s County have been ordered to appear at a special court hearing Saturday where they will be given a choice: Get their children vaccinated on the spot or risk up to 10 days in jail and fines.

It is one of the strongest efforts made by a U.S. school system to ensure its youngsters receive their shots.

Prince George’s County school officials and prosecutors said parents have been duly warned about the need for vaccinations over the past year. They said the goal isn’t to throw parents in jail but to protect public health and get kids who have been barred from school back to class.

“How can you in good conscience allow your child to miss school and their education for no particular reason?” said John White, spokesman for the 132,000-student school system.

At the courthouse, the health department will have a makeshift clinic to administer vaccines. Parents will be given the chance to offer the judge an excuse for why they didn’t get their kids vaccinated. Under Maryland law, parents can obtain exemptions for religious or medical reasons.

Are your child's shots up-to-date?
Those who fail to show up — and those who fail to offer a valid excuse and still refuse the shots — could be prosecuted under truancy laws and face possible jail time and fines of $50 per day. Prosecutors do not expect to actually charge anyone on Saturday.

“The message is get your kids vaccinated or get an exemption,” said Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Glenn Ivey. “You can’t just sit on the fence.”

Barbara Loe Fisher, head of National Vaccine Information Center, a vaccine skeptic group, complained: “It is terrorizing parents. When you have the threat of going to jail, it is hard to make an informed decision.”

Even the judge who opened his court is somewhat skeptical about hauling parents into court.

William Missouri, administrative judge for the county circuit court, agreed to the Saturday session and said it would probably prod some parents to comply. But the problem “may have been ratcheted up to a level it should not have been at this time.”

School officials said that it is not clear why parents are not complying, but that some may have religious or medical objections, while others may have failed to turn in the paperwork, or their kids’ addresses were outdated.

The prospect of stiff penalties appears to have worked already. Last week, when the court notices were sent to parents, 2,300 students had not been properly immunized. As of Friday afternoon, only about 1,100 remained on the list.

Maryland, like all states, requires children to be immunized against several childhood illnesses, including polio, mumps and measles. In recent years, it has required that students up to high-school age be vaccinated against hepatitis B and chicken pox.

After that, thousands of students — most of them high schoolers — were found to lack the required immunizations. Parents were sent letters and visited at home, and the school system even offered free vaccinations.

“Once the word gets out, it will definitely work,” Bob Ross, head of the parent-teachers association at Surrattsville High School in Clinton, said of the new get-tough approach. “Parents are going to have to set aside some time. Parents have a responsibility to help protect the public health.”

Source

When the de facto method of those-in-power in our schools to get something done is to manufacture fear of retribution, (and horribly exaggerated retribution, at that) you have to wonder where common sense and actually working to fix the problem have gone in this day and age...

[Twerp128]

These are the same people that diagnose kids with add or adhd then tell 'em to see the doctor to get some rittilen. I mean imagine that an over-active, can't-sit-still, hyper first grader!?! When I was in first grade I was anything but that, always in the reading corner, with my purple evening robe, my trusty ol' pipe, and a good novel from Oprah's book club.

[epp_b]

OK, I agree that, everyone who can have their shots (medically and religiously), should. Not because some group of fascists is forcing them, but because it's the right thing to do. Nevertheless, the fascists who made this trampling of human rights should be the ones in jail.

Plus, there's nothing here that says how this will actually accomplish their goal (of having everyone immunized). What if a parent decides to shove it to them, spend ten days in jail and pay $500? (based on the ten days in jail plus a daily fine of $50, presumably also accumulating after ten days) Then what? Nothing happens? Real smart solution that doesn't work, you fascist big-brothers.

[tigger]

Originally Posted by epp_b

What if a parent decides to shove it to them, spend ten days in jail and pay $500? (based on the ten days in jail plus a daily fine of $50, presumably also accumulating after ten days) Then what? Nothing happens? Real smart solution that doesn't work, you fascist big-brothers.

Exactly. What does it prove? If they want people to get their kids immunized then they should send out information to parents about it, and encourage them to make a decision promptly.

[phuckingduck]

I don't even know where to start to formulate an argument against this policy. I'm at a loss for words. Justt Grrrrrr @ these people.

[Peter3hg]

I think we shouldn't force parents to have vaccinations but if the child becomes ll and the shot would have prevented it, then the parent should be done for child abuse (unless of course there are good reasons).
I'm all for human rights but parents shouldn't be allowed to potentially put their child's health at risk because of some stupid ill-conceived idea of theirs.