[Shadow_Group] Fw: Students Shots

[shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca]

The Washington Post.

By Manny Fernandez
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, October 30, 2004; Page B01 

District parents and guardians who failed to prove that their children
had been properly immunized this school year got more than a summons to
the principal's office: They were ordered to appear in court. 

D.C. public school officials referred the names of all parents who they
alleged had failed to obtain or document the required shots by Oct. 15 to
the District's Office of the Attorney General. Prosecutors filed criminal
charges against 41 parents and guardians, leading to hearings yesterday
in D.C. Superior Court. 

     
   
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At a luncheon with Washington Post reporters and editors, new D.C.
Superintendent Clifford B. Janey outlined his position on key issues
regarding the troubled system:
 Management Policies
 Course Schedules
 Superintendent's Role
 School Facilities
   
   
 

_____D.C. Schools_____ 

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Oct 29, 2004) 
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 More D.C. Schools News 
 
 
 
_____D.C. Government_____ 

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2004) 
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Throughout the morning and afternoon inside Judge Robert E. Morin's
courtroom, the adults stood nervously before the bench alongside their
court-appointed attorneys and entered pleas of guilty or not guilty. 

"This is something new to me," said Tina Smith, 32, who added that she
did not know that her daughter, a freshman at Anacostia Senior High
School, needed a tuberculosis shot. "I just wish it'd be over with." 

The charges were part of a recent push by schools, courts and health
officials to compel parents and guardians to get their children immunized
and to cut down on truancy. Students who have not received their shots or
booster doses against tetanus, chickenpox, hepatitis B and other diseases
are prohibited from attending school. 

The 41 parents and guardians were charged with violations of the
Compulsory School Attendance Act. 

Under the 1990 law, parents who fail to make sure that their children
attend school regularly can be fined as much as $100 and jailed for up to
five days for each offense. 

After their hearings, some parents took their children to a third-floor
conference room inside the Superior Court building, where the Department
of Health set up an immunization station. About 10 students received
shots there, officials said. 

Several parents complained that they had, in fact, gotten their children
properly immunized, and they blamed the school system for losing or
mishandling the records. 

"I know there are neglectful parents, but I'm not one of them," said
Daniel Logan, 41, who said his 15-year-old son, a student at Coolidge
Senior High School, was immunized. 

Michael Taylor and his wife, Matilda, said their 18-year-old son, a
senior at Coolidge, also had obtained the necessary shots. They said the
school mishandled the records. "They should have had their records
up-to-date," Matilda Taylor said. 

Ralph Neal, assistant superintendent for student and school support
services, said that school officials "stand behind the fact that parents
had not come forward to present their information to the school so that
the school nurse could clear them." 

Some parents said they were rattled by the experience of appearing before
a judge under the threat of fines and jail time. After their names and
cases were called, the parents and guardians stood next to their
attorneys and listened quietly while a clerk told them: "You have the
right to remain silent, and you have the right to an attorney." 

"It was humiliating," Susaron Simms said after her hearing. Simms said
she received a notice to come to court after she had gotten her
16-year-old son, a sophomore at Spingarn Senior High, immunized. "It's
really not fair to all the parents, because all parents are not alike,"
she said. 

Of the 41 parents and guardians ordered to appear in Family Court, 34
showed. 

Assistant Attorney General Rachele Gaines said authorities would obtain
warrants to arrest those who failed to appear. By the end of the day,
about three bench warrants were issued against missing parents or
guardians; the others had their hearings rescheduled. 

"This is not about being vindictive," Gaines said. "The onus is on the
parent to take responsibility and do what they need to do in order to
make sure their child is enrolled and attending school." 

Last school year, city prosecutors filed 98 cases against parents for a
range of violations under the school attendance law. 

The office offers eligible parents enrollment in a deferred sentencing
program to avoid jail time. Of last school year's 98 cases, two parents
were sentenced to three days in jail after failing the program.

 
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