With the school year underway in La Plata County, hallways are filling with students – and the germs that come with them.
To combat disease, several key vaccinations are required for K-12 students attending public schools in Colorado – unless an exemption is granted.
Public schools in Colorado – including Durango, Bayfield and Ignacio school districts – must follow state law on immunizations and exemptions.
Required vaccinations for K-12 students, unless an approved exemption is filed, include diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTaP); hepatitis B; measles, mumps and rubella (MMR); polio; and varicella (chickenpox).
“We believe getting vaccinated is an important part of school readiness,” said Karla Sluis, spokeswoman for Durango School District. “It keeps children from catching and spreading diseases that can make them sick and potentially disrupt learning.”
A Durango School District email sent out this summer said all students attending its schools or child care facilities must have a complete immunization record or an approved exemption submitted to their school. Without that, the student may not attend school.
Medical exemptions, which apply to students who cannot be vaccinated for health reasons, must be signed by a licensed health care provider. This exemption only needs to be submitted once.
Nonmedical exemptions – for personal or religious reasons – must be submitted annually at the beginning of every school year. Such exemptions require either a signature from an immunizing provider or proof of completion of an educational module from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Jessica Resner, a pediatric nurse practitioner at 4 Corners Children’s Clinic, said parent preference – not medical necessity – is the most common reason she sees for K-12 vaccine opt-outs.
But when it comes to medical exemptions, allergies to vaccine components are the most common reason students are exempted at the clinic.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, other medical exemptions may include a weakened immune system or a history of seizures – among others.
“We recommend following the American Academy of Pediatrics routine vaccine schedule,” Resner said. “It’s important to reduce disease burden in the community.”
Resner said vaccination rates at 4 Corners Children’s Clinic remain steady compared to the same time last year.
In the 2021-22 school year, Southwest Colorado had fairly high vaccine compliance, according to Immunize Colorado. The MMR and pertussis vaccine rates hovered at 95%, with polio and varicella vaccinations at 94%.
A 95% vaccination rate is considered the threshold for herd immunity in a given community.
Durango School District has seen MMR vaccine rates improve since the 2019-20 school year, when rates ranged from 76% to 88% – a low for the district. By comparison, the MMR vaccination rate in 2023-24 was 94%, according to data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Vaccination data for the 2025-26 school year is not yet available.
“We respect parental choice when it comes to their child’s health, and we prefer not to speculate on what families may be thinking about recent political shifts and decisions,” Sluis said.
Sluis was referring to views some may hold about Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s stance on vaccinations.
“Our primary concern is student health and minimizing disruptions to learning,” Sluis said. “We strive to keep health-related communications factual, respectful and grounded in state requirements.”
epond@durangoherald.com
