Waterbury Democrat., 1902-03-17
BOARD OF EDUCATION
Voted That Every Child Must Be Vac
 cinated Before Entering School.


 Voted That Every Child Must Be Vac
 cinated Before Entering School.
 The board of education at special meeting held Saturday evening took measures to prevent the advent of smallpox ill this city again. 1t was voted that hereafter before child can enter the public schools it shall have been vaccinated. In case a child comes from some other town it also must have been yaccinated before it can enter the schools. no matter what the age may be. People will undoubt- edly be readily found who will enter all the oral objections possible to such a step, but they will object in vain. According to the laws of the state board of education of any town or city or anything else in the Nutmeg state can make its own laws to reg ulate it's own schools. At the meet ing held some time ago of the subur- ban district committeeman State Sec retary Hine was asked if the board or education could make it's own laws and he replied that regarding school rules or regulations anything The board might say or adopt was soyer- eign. It can hardly be said that the IulS NdCCIndllOll 1eAH " eto the work of physicians, for there are but two physicians out of the seven members on the board Nor was this step taken without caution and consid- eration. The subject was discussed from every conceivable standpoint by the members present, Messrs Good enough, Kent, Chase, Carmody and Russell Naturally the physicians took a somewhat prominent part in the discussion Commissioner Good enough quoted extensively from the authorities in favor of vaccination and the step proposed. Commissioner Russell did likewise, so that finally it was decided to adopt law which provides as above stated that no child can enter the public schools of this city unless it has been vaccinated or is willing to undergo the slight opera tioIi.
 It was at first thought inadvisable to include the suburban districts in the rule, but as the state law gives the board jurisdiction over the subur- ban as much as over the city schools, the former were embraced in the vote, so that the rule applies to quite an ex- tent Of territory. Thus almost all the approaches to the city by which the disease can enter through chill dren are closed to this obnoxious mal- ady.
 After a discussion of general na- ture as to what is vaccination and that point having been decided that it con sisted of inoculation by certain virus, it was decided by vote that a general vaccination of the public school chill dren be done. Each child upon re- turning to school must show a certifi- cate of vaccination A certificate from any reputable physician, no mat ter what his school may be, shall be accepted, so that the point upon which the board of health and certain phy- Sicians have been at variance during the past week is covered without any fear of further friction. Parents who refuse to have their children vac cinated are liable to experience trouble with the law. Those chill dren who fail to report within req sonable time shall be sent for and if willing shall be vaccinated; if they are not willing prosecution will result to the parents for failing to comply with the school laws.