A vaccination controversy in the Miller Place School District has exposed a potential problem in the rules governing what vaccinations children need to be given.

As News 12 has reported, Miller Place School District told Jamie McNicholas that her 8-year-old daughter Ceili needs a so-called T-DAPP booster shot or she will not be allowed back to Laddie A. Decker Sound Beach School. McNicholas refused, saying that neither brand of the booster vaccine currently available is FDA-approved for children as young as Ceili.

According to the FDA, Boostrix is for children 10 and up. Adacel is for kids 11 and older.

Ceili's own doctor said in a Facebook post that she is uncomfortable giving the vaccine to kids younger than the minimum age set by the FDA and the manufacturer.

To make things more confusing for parents, both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control insist the vaccine is OK for kids as young as 7, contradicting what the FDA says.

News 12 was informed from two other parents, one in the William Floyd School District and the other in the Shoreham Wading River School District, who are facing similar circumstances. Both parents say they are being told the kids, ages 7 1/2 and 8, have to get the booster or won't be allowed back in school.

According to Miller Place School District Superintendent Dr. Marianne Higuera, multiple letters were sent to parents as early as June about the vaccination.

"As required by New York state, the Miller Place School District is implementing this policy consistently throughout the entire district," said Miguera.