Door-to-Door School Harassment

Natomas Unified School District (CA) officials went with the news media door-to-door looking for "truants" and trying to force vaccinations on the spot.  Just imagine yourself at home, thinking the guy at your door is some salesman or something, and answering to find a camera in your face, your personal information being read aloud, and being grilled about your child's medical history.

One mom, who actually reacted about as nicely as could be expected under such a circumstance, is suing the school district.  Her daughter, Cayleh Morrison, was described on camera as needing the whooping cough vaccination and being out of compliance with the law.  No such legal obligation exists, as the family could opt out at any time. 

Of course, this was not stated on the broadcast.  We all know schools and medical professionals are generally INTENTIONALLY DECEPTIVE on this count.  I can't tell you of even one time that I've been given full disclosure of my rights NOT to vaccinate my children by school or medical people.  You have to somehow already know this.  I think the lying needs to stop if the schools/medical folks want the trust to start.

This is not OK.  None of the families of unvaccinated or "truant" students should have had their homes and personal data broadcast for the world to see (and for all eternity, really, via the wonders of the internet).

California has a serious whooping cough epidemic.  It isn't going to be solved this way.  By all means exclude unvaccinated children from public school during an outbreak if you feel you must.  If the kids' health is THAT important to you, and you realllly think vaccination works so well and that unvaxed kids carry cooties by their very nature, you'll be ok with losing that state funding for the day. 

Whatever. 

My take on it is that sick people spread stuff and we should REALLY come down hard on parents sending sick kids to school intentionally.  (We've all seen this.  Though I know sometimes the kids start getting sick at school and there's no helping that.) 

I think making families that don't vaccinate the enemy is unhelpful at best.  It makes people who don't want to vaccinate feel persecuted and form their own groups, support systems and information lines.  This cuts off any communication the medical community might have had with these families.  I also think that the medical folks need to realize that when parents flip out and say there are too many shots, maybe that's the time to push JUST the DtaP if that's what's going around, rather than push too hard and maybe see none done that day and/or win that day's battle, but find the parents are now playing herbal remedies when the kid gets appendicitis because that's more "natural" than surgery.  (I exaggerate only slightly.)

I'm biased in favour of personal choice, knowing that vaccines can be a net good societally but do not always work.  I also have vaccinated all my children against whooping cough (what, are the vaccines going to make the kids autistic twice?) and would encourage you do do the same. 

Good grief, but not this way.  I hope that mom wins a boodle of money and a court-ordered apology from the school district, to be posted at the upper right portion of its website, for one full school year.