Vaccination Policy

As a result of numerous outbreaks in campus schools, the BC government has decided to follow New Brunswick and Ontario’s systems by making it mandatory that schools provide immunization records for all students starting September 2019. HCOS has not been informed what this will look like as of yet other than the fact that it will apply to all K-12 students, regardless of DL Enrolled or Home School Registered status.

In the meantime, HCOS and all other BC Schools will need to provide student enrollment lists to the local Health Authorities, but not any further information. 

Note: The proposed new policy will make the reporting of vaccinations mandatory, not make receiving vaccinations mandatory. 

The reason why the province is making the reporting of immunizations mandatory is to help health authorities reach out to parents who might be unaware that their children are not vaccinated, haven’t kept their immunizations up to date, or haven’t had easy access to vaccinations. Those parents will then be provided with help in obtaining vaccinations for their children if wanted. In addition, by reporting this data, schools will be able to easily identify and communicate with families of children who are not fully immunized if an outbreak does occur so they may help to limit exposure. 

We recognize our families have varying philosophical perspectives on vaccinations. HCOS continues to advocate for family choice on this topic but is obligated to comply with this regulation from the BC government in the reporting of immunizations records. Please note again that this does not mean receiving vaccinations are mandatory. 

If you have any further concerns regarding this please contact Ted Gerk, our Privacy Officer.