It’s not to early to schedule back-to-school immunizations

Though it may be too early to buy new pencils and paper for the 2025-26 school year, early summer is a great time to schedule back-to-school immunizations and health screenings at a doctor’s office or local health department.

“From pre-kindergarten through high school, immunizations are a critical step in keeping our schools and communities healthy,” said Amy Fenn, District 4’s Director of Nursing. “When your child is immunized against vaccine-preventable diseases, it helps prevent an outbreak at their school and contributes to better health for all children in Georgia.”

Georgia law requires students in public and private schools to have an up-to-date immunization form. If a student is entering a public school for the first time, they must also have a completed Georgia form 3300 for vision, hearing, dental, and nutritional screenings.

For health department visits, parents are encouraged to make appointments in the early summer to help ease the traditional back-to-school rush in late July and August. Parents calling during the final weeks before school begins may find all appointments are already filled. Scheduling early in the summer also will help ensure that any children needing a follow-up vaccine can have it scheduled before the new school year starts.

Your child’s doctor or county health department can help guide you in determining your child’s vaccine schedule and provide you with the completed forms required for school enrollment.

Appointments are required at District 4’s county health departments. Parents or guardians can schedule their child’s appointment online at district4health.org/make-an-appointment or call (800) 847-4262. Two District 4 county health departments also will hold special walk-in school immunization clinics:

Butts County Health Department
8 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday-Wednesday, July 15-16

Carroll County Health Department
8 to 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 to 3 p.m.
Monday, June 9
Friday, July 11
Monday, July 14

Georgia law requires children attending a nursery, daycare facility, pre-kindergarten, Head Start program, or public or private school (kindergarten – 12th grade) to be protected from certain vaccine-preventable diseases. Children can receive these immunizations at their county health department or physician’s office along with the required forms they will need to submit when enrolling in a Georgia school for the first time.

Children attending public schools also are required to submit a health screening form when enrolling in a Georgia school for the first time. (“First-time” students not only are those entering childcare, pre-K, kindergarten, etc., but also refer to 1) older students who are attending school in Georgia for the first time or 2) who have been absent from a Georgia school for more than 12 months or one school year.)

Parents are encouraged to make appointments early in the summer to help ease the back-to-school rush in July and August. Our health departments can provide the three key documents your child will need:

• Georgia Immunization Certificate (Form 3231): If your child will be attending a Georgia school for the first time, your local health department or physician’s office can let you know the specific immunizations your child needs. They will then provide you with a completed Form 3231 after administering the appropriate vaccines to your child. If your child has received vaccines in another state, you may need to bring proper documentation from that state. (Note: Accepted forms of documentation are a valid Form 3231 or Form 3231 (a medical exemption) or Form 2208 (a notarized religious exemption).
• Georgia Certificate of Vision, Hearing, Dental, and Nutrition Screening (Form 3300): All children enrolled in a pre-kindergarten program or public school must have this certificate on file at their school. Your local health department or physician can conduct these screenings and complete this form.
• Certified Birth Certificate/Proof of Birth Date: Parents also will need to provide the school with proof of their child’s birth date when enrolling in school for the first time. Parents of children born in any Georgia county can obtain a certified copy of their birth certificate at District 4’s Vital Records offices at our health departments in Carroll, Meriwether, Spalding, Troup, and Upson counties. A parent will need to show a Georgia driver’s license or state identification card.

Parents of rising seventh-graders and 11th-graders need to ensure their child has received the following vaccines so they may submit the required updated Form 3231 (or notarized religious exemption Form 2208) to their child’s school:

• Rising Seventh-Grader Immunizations: Children who are 1) entering seventh grade or 2) “first-time” students enrolling in Georgia schools in grades 8 through 12 must have received one dose of Tdap vaccine and one dose of meningococcal vaccine.
• Rising Eleventh-Grader Immunizations: Effective July 1, 2021, children 16 years of age and older who are entering the 11th grade (including “first-time” students) must have received one booster dose of the meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4), unless their initial dose was administered on or after their 16th birthday. MCV4 helps prevent meningococcal disease, a bacterial infection that can be very dangerous.

The HPV vaccine also is recommended for both girls and boys at ages 11–12 to protect against cancers and other diseases caused by human papillomavirus. The second dose of HPV should be received 6-12 months after the first dose. For more information, visit www.cdc.gov/hpv.

Health department fees for immunizations and screenings will vary. Children without health insurance are eligible to receive a discounted rate. Most insurance/ Medicaid covers immunizations and screenings. We accept a variety of insurance plans. Payments for health services may be made by cash, Mastercard or Visa. For more information, please call (800) 847-4262.

MEDIA CONTACT: Natalie Shelton or 706.302.6707

Resources for Schools and Childcares in District 4
Back-To-School Immunizations Outreach Toolkit

Resources for Families
District 4’s Back-To-School Immunization Guide for Families
District 4’s School Immunizations/Health Screenings Newsletter
CDC: Vaccine Schedules by Age
CDC: Vaccines for Children Program
Paying for Vaccines