Dear Woodland Hills School District Families,
With the new school year underway, we wanted to take this opportunity to remind families of Pennsylvania’s immunization vaccination requirements. The start of every school year is a good time for every family to meet with their child’s health care provider and review their immunization records.
As part of this process, the district’s school health office is also actively reviewing all student records to ensure compliance with mandates from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. This review is especially important in light of the recent increase in measles cases throughout the state. Measles has been documented to be highly contagious, and it can affect both children and adults. Two doses of the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine are among those required by the state for children to attend school.
Students who are not compliant with the state’s immunization requirements by the end of the day on Friday, October 9, 2026 will be excluded from school beginning Tuesday, October 13, 2026.
Required immunizations in Pennsylvania include:
- DTaP/Tdap: 4 doses (1 dose on or after 4th birthday)
- Polio: 4 doses (final dose on or after 4th birthday and at least 6 months after previous dose)
- MMR: 2 doses
- Hepatitis B: 3 doses
- Varicella: 2 doses or official medical proof of immunity
- 7th Grade Entry: 1 dose Tdap and 1 dose MCV4
- 12th Grade Entry: 1 additional MCV4 dose (if previous dose was given before age 16)
In addition, physical examinations are required upon the child’s initial enrollment in school in either kindergarten or first grade, and again prior to sixth grade. A dental examination is required in kindergarten/first grade, as well as in third grade and in seventh grade.
State law allows exemptions only for documented medical reasons (signed by a physician), religious beliefs, or strong moral/ethical convictions.
Please take this opportunity to review your child’s vaccination record and overall health records. To ensure your child’s health file is complete, we must have up-to-date documentation on file for the following records:
- Immunization records
- Physical Examination/Health Report
- Dental Examination Records
If any records are incomplete or not up to date, please submit them directly to your child’s school nurse as soon as possible via email, fax, or hand-delivery to the main office.
To assist families in fulfilling these requirements, the Metro Community Health Center Mobile Clinic will be making several stops at schools throughout our district in the next few weeks.
Woodland Hills High School: Friday, September 18th, and Friday, October 9th
Dickson Preparatory STEAM Academy: Monday, September 14th and Monday, October 5th
Wilkins Elementary STEAM Academy: Friday, September 25th
You can register your child online to receive any needed vaccines prior to the October 9th exclusion deadline. Please sign up at https://hipaa.jotform.com/sign/243254611343045/invite/01jd85dbdr8804a9a6622c2bb8
If you have questions regarding your child’s current health status, require assistance finding an alternate clinic location, or need additional assistance regarding immunizations or health records, please contact your school’s nurse immediately so we can assist you and prevent any disruption to your child's education.
Thank you for understanding and for your partnership in keeping our students healthy and the district compliant with state law.
Sincerely,
Dr. Pamela White
Assistant to the Superintendent for Administrative Services
Woodland Hills School District