Vaccination Rule Vexes Bentonville Board Member

BENTONVILLE -- A School Board member's son is being kept out of school for three weeks because he hasn't received a state-required vaccine.

Rebecca Powers, the board's Zone 1 representative, said she got a telephone call at work Monday to come pick up her son, Canaan Brown, at Ardis Ann Middle School because another student with whom Canaan rode the bus had contracted chicken pox.

Canaan, 11, hasn't received a second dose of the varicella vaccine, as required under state Department of Health rules that went into effect Sept. 1. Any child who hasn't received the proper vaccines is supposed to be suspended for at least 21 days if there is the possibility of disease transmission, according to department regulations.

Powers has refused to let Canaan or her other three children get the required vaccines because she believes they are ineffective. She also objects to the contents of the vaccines, "namely human DNA fragments, which come from aborted fetuses," she said. She therefore has sought an exemption from the state's requirements on religious grounds.

"The body is our temple, God's temple, and you're not supposed to put poisonous substances into it," Powers said.

Dirk Haselow, epidemiologist for the state, said the only vaccine the state uses that has any DNA residue at all is the hepatitis A vaccine. None of it comes from aborted fetuses, he said.

Even those students granted exemptions from the state's rules are subject to suspension if another student who is close to them becomes sick. The School District suspended Canaan from school for 21 calendar days beginning Sept. 20. The incubation period for chickenpox is 10 to 21 days, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

"I honestly believe my son cannot go to school because of his religious beliefs," Powers said.

Powers inquired about getting the district to provide homebound services for Canaan. The school denied her request on grounds Canaan doesn't qualify based on a medical or mental illness that prevents him from attending school.

Powers, a single mother who works full-time, said that puts her in a difficult position of trying to provide Canaan an education. It's making her second guess her convictions on the vaccine issue.

"I'm feeling a little more bullied to get him the vaccine," she said.

Paul Stolt, the district's director of communication, said the district is following the Department of Health's regulations for those families that have decided not to have their children vaccinated. The district is treating Powers as it would any other family under the same circumstances, he said.

A little more than 200 families in the district have been granted immunization exemptions from the state. Bentonville had eight students infected with chicken pox this week, all of whom are in either the elementary or middle schools, according to Stolt. He wasn't aware of whether any other students had been suspended based on vaccination status.

Powers was elected to the School Board in 2012. She said she understands the district is following the state's rules, but she had mixed feelings about the district's response to her.

"Some of the responses I've gotten have been condescending, and some have been very heartwarming. But I definitely don't feel like Canaan is getting the standard of excellence he should be getting," she said.

The state Department of Health had received 1,786 requests for immunization exemptions this month as of Friday, of which 456 were still pending. That number included requests made for philosophical or religious reasons, according to Kerry Krell, the department's spokeswoman. No exemption requests had been made for medical reasons.

All vaccines are far safer than the diseases they protect against, Haselow said. About 4 percent of people develop a minor rash in reaction to the varicella vaccine, he said.

Some vaccines include trace elements of ingredients that might sound unhealthy, but "people need to understand, if they eat a cheeseburger, they're getting much more of these trace elements than they do from a vaccine," Haselow said.

The state's new vaccination requirements this fall require students to have a second dose of the varicella vaccine. If a child has had chickenpox, a medical professional, rather than a parent, must provide verification of that to the school before the student can get a vaccine waiver.

Another new rule is students must receive their Tdap vaccination -- which guards against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis -- by the time they turn 11. The state previously required the Tdap for students entering seventh grade.

In addition, there's a new rule regarding the meningococcal MCV4 vaccine. Students must get their first dose in the seventh grade; those who were 16 as of Sept. 1 must get a second dose as well.

The state considers students to be out of compliance with the law if they have not been vaccinated by Oct. 1.

Juanita Casey, head nurse for the Rogers School District, said Rogers staff members have been working hard to make sure families are aware of the new requirements.

"It's been a challenge to get everyone notified, identifying what each individual child needs to be compliant with the law," Casey said. "It's a process, and a pretty time-consuming one."

On Wednesday, Casey said she couldn't provide a number of children who hadn't yet received all of their vaccinations, but said, "It's a lot."

The same is true in Bentonville schools, according to Deborah Keith, the district's health services coordinator. School nurses are "working diligently" to get students into compliance with the rules.

On Tuesday, Bentonville High School sent a letter to parents with a reminder about the vaccination requirements. The letter stated 500 seniors were at risk of suspension because they needed a Tdap or varicella vaccine.

Mercy Medical Center was scheduled to provide vaccinations at Bentonville High this morning through its Mobile Clinic.