Girl turned away from school over vaccination

An 8-year-old girl was turned away from Laddie A. Decker Sound Beach School Monday morning after her mother refused to give her a booster vaccine. As News 12 has reported, Ceilie McNicholas, 8, was

News 12 Staff

Nov 18, 2014, 3:03 AM

Updated 3,444 days ago

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Girl turned away from school over vaccination
An 8-year-old girl was turned away from Laddie A. Decker Sound Beach School Monday morning after her mother refused to give her a booster vaccine.
As News 12 has reported, Ceilie McNicholas, 8, was told by the Miller Place School District that she needed to get a T-Dapp booster shot or she could not return to school.
Her mom, Jamie McNicholas, refused, saying the vaccine is not FDA-approved for children under 10 years old. Long Island pediatricians have told News 12 the same.
McNicholas says she followed the bus to school, knowing Ceilie would be asked to leave. She says the assistant principal politely said that without proper documentation of the shot, the child would have to be home-schooled.
The school district released a statement to News 12, saying, "We appreciate the family's frustration. The Miller Place School District is required and obligated to follow all of the rules and regulations of the State of New York on all matters, including children's health."
In the meantime, McNicholas has started an online petition to allow her child back into the school.
"All I'm asking the state to do is, for the next couple of years, make an exception for the few kids so that they don't have to have a vaccine that could possibly compromise their health," she told News 12.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health says the agency follows the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, specifically the CDC's Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices. The CDC says although the booster was approved by the FDA for ages 10 and up, it is safe and effective for children as young as 7.


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