Vaccines are a critical public health tool to keep Arizona children, families, and communities healthy. At the beginning of the 20^th century, large numbers of infectious diseases like smallpox, measles, polio, whooping cough, and diphtheria caused thousands of illnesses and deaths, but the availability of vaccines have now made these diseases rare. For their role in preventing needless illness and death, vaccines are recognized as the greatest public health achievements of both the 20^th and 21^st centuries.

Vaccines are safe and effective. When your children are fully vaccinated, they are less likely to become ill with a vaccine-preventable disease and thus less likely to spread disease to other students, staff, and families on your campus who are unable to be vaccinated due to their age or a compromising medical condition. We ask for your support in helping us ensure your children are fully vaccinated.

To protect children against contagious diseases, Arizona State Law A.R.S. 15-872 requires immunization of all school children. The Arizona Department of Health Services requires children to be immunized against DTaP/DTP, polio, MMR (measles/mumps/rubella), hepatitis B, and varicella (chicken pox).  Students who are 11 years and older must have the meningococcal and Tdap vaccination. In the case of an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease, children without proof of immunizations will be excluded from school.  The immunization record must be submitted prior to attendance, although a child may be conditionally enrolled, provided that necessary immunizations have been initiated and a schedule has been established for completion of the required immunizations.