Photo by Peter Dazeley
Required immunizations will be provided without charge to eligible GGUSD students at the district Assessment and Registration Center (ARC) Child Health Clinic weekdays from Aug. 27 through Sept. 7 from 8 to 10 a.m. The clinic will be closed Sept. 1 through Sept. 3. The clinic is next to Cook Elementary School, 9802 Woodbury Road, Garden Grove.
Following the start of the new school year, the health clinic resumes its regular operating schedule beginning Sept. 10 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8 to 10 a.m.
“The clinic is provided as a convenience for parents to help them satisfy admission requirements for their children attending the school district,” said Lorraine Rae, executive director of special education and student services. “It is extremely important for every child to receive all the necessary shots to ensure good health. Immunizations keep children free of certain diseases while also protecting other children and adults around them.”
The parent or guardian must accompany the student for immunizations at the clinic, and they are required to provide written documentation of any previous immunizations administered by a health care provider. Families with private insurance or enrolled in the Healthy Families Program must go to their health-care provider.
School immunizations may also be secured from the Orange County Health Care Agency at (714) 834-4722.
Before children can be enrolled in school, California law requires that they receive the following immunization series: MMR – measles, mumps, rubella; DTaP – diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis; polio; hepatitis B; and varicella (chicken pox). The requirement for the chicken pox immunization may be waived if a health-care provider documents immunity. Contact the local school for specific immunization requirements. A Tdap immunization given after 7 years of age is required for all students entering grades 7 through 12.
Along with needed immunizations, students in grades 2 through 12 enrolling in the GGUSD must provide evidence of a TB skin test received after their fourth birthday. In the event of a positive test, a radiology report for a chest X-ray must be presented to the office before the child can attend school.
Children also must receive a full physical exam, which includes a TB skin test, within 18 months prior to starting first grade. The forms are available from the school office and must be completed and returned to the school prior to winter recess in December.
Documentation of a dental checkup is required by May 31 in either kindergarten or first grade, whichever is the child’s first year of public school. This checkup or “oral health assessment” may be completed up to 12 months before a child enters school and must be performed by a licensed dentist.
Call the school or the district clinic at (714) 663-6411 for additional information.
The Garden Grove Unified School District serves most of Garden Grove and portions of Santa Ana, Anaheim, Westminster, Fountain Valley, Stanton and Cypress.
