Student Safety and Wellness

 

 

 

 

 

For more information on how to maintain a healthy learning environment, please review the GCPS Respiratory Virus Guidance.

By state law, a valid certificate of immunization (Form #3231) or a notarized statement of religious exemption (Form #2208) is required for enrollment. The certificate of immunization must be completed by the health department or your private physician. A valid Form #3231 must be marked with either "Date of Expiration" or as "Complete for School Attendance." (A certificate marked with a "Date of Expiration" expires on the date indicated. A current certificate must be submitted within 30 days of expiration.) A medical exemption, if applicable, should be noted on Form #3231 with a current date of expiration. You may request a form from your school for religious exemption.

Please review immunization requirements for students and a TDAP-Meningitis parent fact sheet for students entering 7th grade. The new vaccine requirements apply to students who are born on or after 1/1/2002 AND entering 7th grade. The requirements also apply to students who are new entrants to 8th-12th grade. New entrants are students who have never attended any school in Georgia or have not attended any school in Georgia for at least one full school year.

Back to School 2024-25

Before starting the 2024-25 school year, all students entering or transferring into 11th grade will need proof that they received a meningococcal booster vaccine (MCV4) on or after their 16th birthday.

Students can get vaccinations and certificates of immunization from their private physician or at any of the local health department offices. 

Additionally, students also must have evidence of vision, hearing, dental, and nutrition screening obtained in the past year. This information should be on Georgia Form #3300 (rev. 2013), available from the health department or your physician and dentist, and dated within the last 12 months. Letters from appropriate healthcare professionals and out-of-state certificates are acceptable if completed within the last 12 months and stapled to the state form. 

Visit one of the health department offices in Gwinnett County-- located in Lawrenceville and Norcross-- to obtain required screenings and immunizations for a fee.

If your child does not have health insurance or their health plan won’t cover these vaccines, call your local health department and ask about getting no-cost or low-cost vaccines. For more information, visit http://dph.georgia.gov/vaccines-children or call (800) 848-3868. 

Ask your pediatrician or local health department about other shots your child may need, including:

• MCV4 vaccines must be documented on Georgia Form 3231 Certificate of Immunization.
• Students who are not 16 years old do not have to get the vaccine until their 16th birthday.
• Note that this booster vaccine is required in addition to the MCV4 vaccine that was required for your child prior to the beginning of 7th grade.
• human papillomavirus (HPV) series
• tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis shot (Tdap or Td booster)
• annual flu vaccine; and
• catch-up immunizations, including chickenpox, MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), and hepatitis B.

If your student's school has been placed on lockdown or evacuated, please do not go to the school.  Excessive traffic could interfere with law enforcement efforts or emergency response.  The school will contact you to let you know how to proceed.

Schools go on lockdown when school officials and local law enforcement authorities determine that conditions outside or inside the school are unsafe.  No one may enter or leave the school until the lockdown is lifted.  This may delay dismissal times.

• A soft lockdown occurs when conditions outside the school are unsafe.  Students and staff continue with a normal school day, but stay within the building.
• A hard lockdown occurs when conditions inside the school are unsafe.  Students and staff remain in the classroom and safety procedures are followed until the lockdown is lifted.  For their safety, students should turn off or mute their cellphones as a ringing phone could alert an aggressor.

Schools are evacuated when the school environment is unsafe for students to stay in the building.

For more information about school safety, see Safety and Security information on the GCPS website (www.gcpsk12.org/safety).

When inclement weather is predicted, GCPS works with local authorities to monitor current and expected conditions in the area.

• If bad weather is forecast overnight, GCPS staff drive roads and bridges across the county to gauge conditions.
• Unscheduled digital learning days and full-day cancellations usually are announced by 6 a.m. Once a decision is made, the district posts the announcement about school closures on the GCPS website, GCPS TV, and the district's Facebook page.  GCPS also notifies metro-Atlanta news outlets and alerts families with a phone call and optional text message via ParentSquare. (Families must request the text feature.)
• When bad weather moves in during the school day, district leaders decide the safest and most efficient way to get students home.  Should GCPS schools release early or cancel afternoon or evening activities, GCPS notifies parents and community members via local school communication vehicles and ParentSquare calls and texts, through reports to metro-Atlanta news media, and posts to the GCPS website, and Facebook.

More details about Inclement Weather Procedures

"Part 3 of Article 16 of Chapter 2 of Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to student health in elementary and secondary education, is amended by revising Code Section 20-2-771.1, designated as reserved, as follows: "20-2-771.1. (a) If a local board of education provides information on immunizations, infectious diseases, medications, or other school health issues to parents and guardians of students in grades six through 12, then the following information about Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes"

Please review the Diabetes Fact Sheets located on the Georgia Department of Education's (GaDOE) website. English and Spanish translations are available. Other resources are available on the GaDOE site, such as the Diabetes Medical Management Plan and the Guidelines for the Care of a Student with Diabetes.