Over 2,000 elementary and high school students across Chatham-Kent could be sent home from school this spring for not having their immunization records up to date.
The Public Health Unit will be sending out first letters this week, but you have until April 3 to report your child's shots before they're suspended.
Public Health Nurse Dan Drouillard says missing vaccine data is mostly an issue of parent-reporting and not compliance.
To put it into perspective, he says during the last school year over 2,000 notices were also issued, but just over 100 students were actually suspended. Drouillard says 5% were granted exemptions for philosophical, religious or medical reasons.
Drouillard adds the number of overdue students has been slightly higher in recent years because vaccines for Meningitis, Chicken Pox and Whooping Cough were added in 2014.
Suspension orders will be effective on April 4.
To report shots to the health unit, you can call 519-355-1071 ext. 5900, go online or in person at 177 King St. E.
