Parent Teacher Magazine Gaston County Schools | Page 10
Health and Immunization Requirements
A child must be five years old on or before August 31, 2019 to begin
kindergarten.
Each child entering a North Carolina public school for the first time must
submit proof of a health assessment to the school’s principal within 30
calendar days of the child’s first day of attendance. All children entering
kindergarten this fall must have a health physical completed on or after
August 27, 2018. The assessment must be submitted to the principal on
kindergarten assessment forms provided by the N.C. Department of Human
Resources and the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. Kindergarten health
assessment forms are available at elementary schools, the Gaston County
Health Department and all pediatrician offices. Students who do not meet the
state requirements for immunizations and a health assessment will not be
allowed to remain in school.
North Carolina law requires the following immunizations for students:
• 5 DTP/DTaP (Diphtheria, Tetanus, Whooping Cough) - If the fourth dose is
on or after the fourth birthday, fifth dose is not required.
• 4 Polio – IPV - 3 doses are acceptable if the last dose was given on or after
the fourth birthday.
• 1 HIB (Haemophilus Influenza B) - Must be given at 15 months of age and
before five years of age. Not required after age five.
• 2 Measles - One dose after the first birthday and before 16 months, and
second dose before enrolling in school. Usually given as MMR (measles,
mumps, rubella).
• 2 Mumps - One does after the first birthday and before 16 months, and
second dose before enrolling in school. Usually given as MMR (measles,
mumps, rubella).
• 1 Rubella - One dose on or after 12 months and before 16 months.
• 3 Hepatitis B - Required for all students born on or after July 1, 1994.
• 2 Varicella (Chicken Pox) - Required for all students born on or after July 1,
2015.
Immunization Requirement for Seventh Grade
Students should be up-to-date on all the vaccines required for kindergarten
entry. In addition, students need one dose of Tdap vaccine (Tetanus,
Diptheria, Pertussis-Whooping Cough) and one dose of meningoccal conjugate
vaccine.
Administering Medicine to Students
The Board of Education recognizes that students may need to take medication
during school hours. School personnel may administer medication prescribed
by a doctor upon written request of the parents. To minimize disruptions
to the school day, medicine should be taken at home rather than at school
whenever possible. Medication taken at school should be administered in
compliance with Board Policy 6130.
Please contact the school nurse if you have questions about student
immunization records or health requirements.
• Get information about Meningitis: http://epi.publichealth.nc.gov/cd/
diseases/meningitis.html
• Get information about the Flu: http://epi.publichealth.nc.gov/cd/diseases/
flu.html
8 • Sept/Oct 2019• Parent Teacher Magazine
K12 Payment Center
Did you know…?
K12PaymentCenter provides convenience and
information to manage school meal accounts.
Visit www.k12paymentcenter.com to make deposits or
monitor your student’s meal account.
Gaston County School Nutrition offers
K12PaymentCenter, a state-of-the-art online service that
provides you the convenience and information you need to
manage your student’s meal account. This feature speeds
up serving lines in the cafeteria, eliminates the need to
send checks or cash to school, takes away your concerns
about lost or forgotten lunch money, and ensures that your
child will receive a nutritious meal.
At no cost, K12PaymentCenter enables families to:
• Create a free, secured account to manage your
student’s cafeteria account
• Check your student’s current account balance
• Monitor the items your student has been purchasing in
the cafeteria
• Create settings to receive email notifications when the
account reaches a low balance
• For a small program fee of 3.5% per transaction
K12PaymentCenter allows any family to:
• Make a prepayment into your student’s meal
account using a check, credit card, or debit card at www.
k12paymentcenter.com
• Funds deposited through K12PaymentCenter are
usually available for student use within 24 hours
• Create settings to automatically replenish your
student’s account when it reaches a low balance
To create a new account, log into www.
k12paymentcenter.com.
Follow
the
on
screen
directions and register your student using his or her
Student ID number. The Student ID number can be
obtained by contacting your school’s Cafeteria Manager
or the School Nutrition offices at (704) 836-9110. If
you encounter difficulties completing the registration
process, a help desk is available by email at:
[email protected].