Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1905-11-30
Harrisburg, Pa, Dec. >.

COMPULSORY dttelludllce law Ill cases
where the children had been debar-
red from school for not being sue
cessfuly vaccinated, would have up
on the efforts the Department of
Health is making to have the vacci-
nation law enforced throughout the
schools of the State.
81 do not see" the Commissioner
of Health replied, "that it should
give any effect whatever, as the At
torney General does not in any way
question the duty of teachers TO obey
the law of the Commonwealth and
that is all we have ever asked them
to lo'
That brings up a point that l
would like to make plain. The
teacher, in charge of schools in
Pennsylvania are not required to re-
fuse admission to children until they
are vaccinated, because the Depart
ment of Health has so ordained. 1t
is the law of the Commonwealth, IA
law passed for the protection of the
public health and as the safeguard
ing of the health of the people in
Pennsylvania has been entrusted 20
this department, the Commissioner
proposes to see to it that this health
law passed by the State Legislature
and approved by the Governor Of
the Commonwealth on June Is, 1905
and still in force, is Garlic d out.
In this determination ! have the
cooperation of hundreds of local
boards Of health throughout the
State, School directors and the teach
arS themselves.
OF course there has been opposition.
This was to be expected. In some
cases School Directors themselves
have opposed the enforcement of the
law and have gone so far as to in
struct their teachers to admit child
ren regardless of whether they had
been vaccinated. In despair the
teachers have written to this depart
ment They say: We want to obey
the law of the Commonwealth but
our School Board has ordered us to
violate it, telling us that we will lose
our heads if we refuse the children
admission. 81 fully appreciate the
difficult position that this places the
teacher in.
Parents and School Directors com.
bine to influence such teacher to
become a law breaker. The only
answer | could give has been to
quote the law: All principals or other
persons having charge of schc OILS. as
aforesaid (meaning public. private,
parochial, Sunday or other schools)
are hereby required to refuse the
admission of any child to the school
under their charge or supervision,
except upon certificate signed by
physician setting forth that such
child has been successfully vaccina-
ted, or that it has previously had
smallpox"
| have answered nearly fifty lei
ters day on the subject Of vaccina-
ton for the past three months and
four hundred thousand vaccination
blanks have been given out by this
department. All excepting the first
hundred thousand have been sent
olt by request, and we are still send
ing about fifteen hundred blanks a
day in packages from fifty up. As
these requests are coming in many
eases from districts that had been
opposing the enforcement of the
vaccination law. we know that these
disti lets have decided to stand with
us on the side of the law for the pro-
lection of the public health
Many teachers write and say that
children come to school with letters
from their family physician stating
that the child's health is not such
that it should he vaccinaied. The
teachers ask what they shall do. |
have written that such letters cannot
be accepted in place of the legal GER
titcaies of vaccination ami regarding
this point the Attorney General in
his recent opinion say:
Il perceive uo legal authority for
the acceptance hy amy teacher of II
certificate of Il doctor that Il child
should not be vacvinated. This
would nullify the law requiring such