Kate Bukowski, the district’s director of student services, told the St. Cloud Public School District Board of Education on Monday that an intensive outreach effort has reduced the number of students not meeting immunization requirements to 948, "the first time we have seen under 1000 since we started," she said.

Bukowski summarized steps the district has taken to help families comply: two rounds of noncompliance letters, building-based call centers, notary services at the district office and several schools, weekly Skylert emails and texts, pop-ups on the district website, on-site clinics in partnership with CentraCare and Aslan Health, voluntary catch-up schedules and a notary to assist with paperwork (presented as an information item). She said the district sent final exclusion letters and will operate district office hours over year-end break and clinics after the break so that students with documentation can return to class.

The presentation noted that certain students—those in transitional housing, foster care or with verified upcoming appointments—are not included in exclusion counts; Bukowski said 179 students fall into that category. Bukowski described targeted efforts at large buildings with higher noncompliance counts and thanked nurses, equity staff and community partners for on-site clinics and outreach work.

Board members acknowledged the effort and asked clarifying questions about historical enforcement. Bukowski and other administrators said enforcement of exclusion is not new in statute but had not previously been practiced consistently; the recent push reflects a decision to follow existing policy while offering as much assistance as possible. The district emphasized support options for Jan. 5, including waivers, same-day CentraCare sign-ups and in-person assistance so children may return to class if families comply during the intervention window.

The presentation was informational; no board action was required. The district encouraged families to use posted clinic hours and district office support dates during the break.