Starting May 13, 2021, students ages 12 and 17 are eligible to register to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Students ages 18 and above are eligible to register to receive the Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. At this time, COVID-19 vaccinations are NOT a required school immunization by the Indiana State Department of Health. The choice to have your student, age 12 and older, vaccinated is the decision of each family. The purpose of the information below is to answer commonly asked questions on how the vaccine impacts school and to provide resources for families who want to learn more or who wish to register for a vaccine. If you have specific questions regarding the vaccine itself, please contact your healthcare provider.
School-Related Vaccination Common Questions
Q: Will my student need to quarantine if they are a close contact to a positive COVID-19 individual once they are fully vaccinated?
A: No, once you are fully vaccinated (two weeks after both vaccine doses have been administered) you will not need to quarantine if you are a close contact as long as you don’t develop symptoms. You should continue to monitor for symptoms if exposed. At this time, it is undetermined how long a fully vaccinated person would not need to quarantine if exposed.
Q: Will my student’s absence be excused if they go to get vaccinated during the school day?
A: Yes, your student’s absence will be marked as excused for the time frame your student is absent to receive their vaccine. You may be asked to provide proof of appointment or to show your student’s CDC Vaccination Card upon return to school.
Q: Should my student quarantine if they have any side effects from the vaccine?
A: Many people will have no side effects, but some may experience pain/swelling at the injection site, headache, tiredness, nausea, body aches, chills, or a fever. Students who experience these symptoms within 72 hours of receiving their vaccine are free to continue coming to school and do not need to quarantine. We do ask any individual who is running a fever of 100.0 degrees or higher to follow district policy and stay home until they are fever free for 24 hours. It is not expected that students would have side effects such as loss of taste, loss of smell, congestion, or other respiratory symptoms after being vaccinated. If any of these symptoms arise, we ask that your student stay home and normal COVID protocol is followed (testing, cleared by a doctor, or isolate for 10 days).
Q: Will my student still have to wear a mask at school after being vaccinated?
A: Indiana is currently under a mask advisory with the exception of a few buildings. However, schools remain under a mask mandate for the duration of the 2020-2021 school year. The MSD of Martinsville will require all individuals, even when vaccinated, to continue wearing masks indoors for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year when they are not eating/drinking or participating in strenuous activity in compliance with Governor Holcomb’s executive order. The CDC does state that fully vaccinated individuals are safe to gather indoors with other fully vaccinated individuals or indoors with one other from their household who is unvaccinated while not wearing masks.
Q: Will the MSD of Martinsville require students to receive a COVID-19 vaccine for the 2021-2022 school year?
A: The Indiana General Assembly grants the Indiana Department of Health the sole power to determine required and recommended immunizations for children attending K-12 schools (IC 20-34-4-2). The MSD of Martinsville does not have the legal authority to add or delete immunizations from the Indiana Department of Health’s required or recommended immunization list. As with all school immunizations, Indiana law does allow for medical (IC 20-34-3-3) and religious (IC 20-34-3-2) exemptions. Currently, the COVID-19 vaccine is not listed as either a required or recommended vaccine for the 2021-2022 school year.
Indiana 2021-2022 Required and Recommended School Immunization are listed here: https://www.in.gov/isdh/files/2021-2022%20Immunization%20Requirements.pdf
Where to Register
IN Vaccine Waitroom: https://vaccine.coronavirus.in.gov/
Kroger: https://www.kroger.com/rx/covid-eligibility
Meijer: https://clinic.meijer.com/
CVS: https://www.cvs.com/immunizations/covid-19-vaccine
Walgreens: https://www.walgreens.com/findcare/vaccination/covid-19/location-screening
COVID-19 Information
CDC Vaccine Information: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/index.html
Indiana State Department of Health Fact Sheet for Students Age 12-15 Years Olds: https://www.coronavirus.in.gov/files/21_Youth%20Pfizer%20fact%20sheet_5-12.pdf
Indiana State Department of Health Teen Vaccination Fact Sheet: https://www.coronavirus.in.gov/files/21_Teen%20vaccine%20fact%20sheet_5-13.pdf
American Academy of Pediatrics COVID-19 Vaccine: Frequently Asked Questions:
https://services.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/covid-19-vaccine-frequently-asked-questions/
