7am News, Sports and Obits
Latest WGIL news
Click to play or
Right click and "Save Target As" to download
Click for Galesburg, Illinois Forecast
Home - Cancellations - Community Events - Contact Us - Mornings - News - Obituaries - Pictures - Programs - Special Events Audio - Sports - Weather
State, Local Officials Remind Parents About School-Time Vaccine, Other Changes
Illinois students are heading back to school this week and next, and state health officials are reminding parents to make sure their children's immunizations are up to date.

The state has added a new requirement this year that will affect some students, and modified the physical schedule for middle schoolers.

Mary Butcher, communicable disease coordinator at the Knox County Health Department, tells WGIL a vision exam is required of all students new to the Illinois school system. "It's going to have to be done by a medical doctor or an optometrist," Butcher said. "Talk to your provider about that. This is required at the Kindergarten level, within one year prior, to October 15th of the school year. That's something you should talk to your provider about and see about getting done."

Butcher says the other change this year is the required physical for fifth grade has been moved, and is required of students entering sixth grade instead. However, students who had physicals as fifth graders won't have to get another one as sixth graders this school year.

The Illinois Department of Public Health says proof of up-to-date immunizations is required for children entering any grade in Illinois. There are nine required shots, including diphtheria, tetanus, measles and hepatitis B.
08 18 08 by Newsroom
News management powered by Xpression News

Click here for the WGIL News Archive

Click here for national news

The following provision applies to all visitors (which shall include persons and representatives of legal entities, whether such representatives are persons or digital engines of a kind that crawls, indexes, scrapes, copies, stores or transmits digital content). By accessing this Web site or digital service, you specifically acknowledge and agree that: (i) Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium; (ii) No Associated Press materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use; (iii) The Associated Press will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing; (iv) The Associated Press is an intended third party beneficiary of these terms and conditions and it may exercise all rights and remedies available to it; and (v) The Associated Press reserves the right to audit possible unauthorized commercial use of AP materials or any portion thereof at any time.