Health in Schools: Infection Control in K-12 Settings

Health in Schools: Infection Control in K-12 Settings

What does it take to keep a school population healthy? For decades, school and public officials have recognized that disease and infection transmission in schools is common, and they have discussed ways to ensure school populations are safe and healthy. Vaccine mandates have been common for several centuries, starting in Massachusetts in the 1850s. By 1963, 20 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico all had a variety of vaccine mandates in place. School nurses were introduced in the United States in the early 1900s, beginning in New York City in 1902, working with the Board of Health and the Board of Education with the goal of addressing minor health issues so the students would not have to miss class. 

Today, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, have legislation requiring specific vaccines for k-12 students, although religious and occasionally philosophical exemptions are allowed. Healthy schools require much more than vaccine mandates, including managing other communicable diseases such as pink eye and common colds, maintaining basic school sanitation, and enforcing mask mandates when necessary. 

Join us for a panel discussion on infection control in schools during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and hear how our panel of experts identify necessary health and safety measures and how these measures are enforced. This is our 50th Spotlight Series event and it is co-sponsored by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins School of Education.