Students line up to get the vaccine during school hours
By Arielle Berlin
Tuesday, October 27, 2009 at 2:34 p.m.
Read more: Local, State, Education, School, Oregon, Swine Flu, H1n1, Vaccine, Toledo
OREGON, OH -- At Fassett Middle School in Oregon, students got a break from studying Monday to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated against the swine flu.
"I'm pleasantly surprised at the number of kids getting vaccinated today. I'm really happy with the response and I do think that the kids are going to be really happy that they were a part of this," says district nurse Cherie Sexton.
Their participation was totally voluntary. About 25% of students district-wide have signed up for the Lucas County Health Department vaccine clinics.
"We know that the largest group that's been affected is children and so that's why we're concentrating at this time on children as one of our target groups," says Patty Fraker from the Lucas County Health Department. Since children are at a higher risk, Oregon Schools have taken that into consideration.
Dr. Mike Zalar, the Superintendent of Oregon Schools says, "we're certainly doing our due diligence as a district to make sure the buildings are clean and that we've educated out students on what good hygiene practices are."
Parents had to give their permission for their students to be vaccinated. They were also invited to come to school if their child needed them.
"A lot of them have a lot of anxiety building up to it, but a lot of these kids in middle school haven't had a vaccine in quite a while so they don't quite remember what a shot is like but they're doing a good job," Sexton says.
The Health Department is also working with Maumee and Washington Local Schools to set up clinics for their students.
