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Parent asks board to revise immunization letter language after child upset by 'must' wording
Summary
At the June 8 LaPorte school board meeting a parent read a May letter telling families incoming sixth‑graders 'must' provide proof of Tdap and MCV4 vaccinations by Aug. 14, 2026; she asked the district to remove 'must' or add an explicit exemption form to avoid implying vaccination is mandatory for school attendance.
Elizabeth Rassell, a La Porte chiropractor and parent, used the public‑comment portion of the June 8 board meeting to read a May 2026 immunization notice sent to families and to ask the district to change its wording.
Rassell said the letter states that incoming sixth‑graders "must have proof of receiving this vaccination by the 1st day of 2026‑27 school year, August 14." She told the board the bolded and highlighted "must" frightened her son and that her subsequent call to a district staffer — identified in the letter as Kristen Ramos — produced the response that the staffer "didn't know why they worded it this way" and that the wording had been provided to her.
Rassell asked the board to "remove the must or put afterwards or have an exemption form signed and released so that we can... let people go to school" without implying that vaccination is required for attendance. She said her family chooses not to vaccinate and cited the availability of religious exemptions under Indiana law.
Board President Seabird thanked Rassell for raising the concern; the transcript records no formal motion or vote to change the letter's language during the meeting. Superintendent Wood and administration were present and later discussed related policy items in new‑business items (for example, an out‑of‑state enrollment resolution and handbook updates), but no immediate administrative change to the immunization notice was recorded in the meeting minutes included in the transcript.
What happens next: Rassell requested administrative clarification and a wording change; the district did not adopt or announce a revised letter at the June 8 meeting. The record shows the comment was made during public comment and will be available in the meeting minutes for follow up by administration.
