I’m confused, California. I just want to make sure I’m
perfectly clear on what’s happening here...
I have a son in the sixth grade, attending a public school
in our great state of California. Next year, if we’ve paid off the right people,
he will go on to the seventh grade. Our public school district, operating in
and under the authority of our great state of California just sent me, his parent, a notice about his
immunization requirements for school. What?
The letter starts like this:
Whooping cough, also
known as pertussis, continues to threaten students in California. To help stop
its spread, all incoming 7th graders are required by law to have
proof of a whooping cough booster (TDaP) vaccine, or file an exemption, in
order to attend classes this year. Students
will not be allowed to attend classes without an immunization or medical
exemption signed by a physician.
Then you guys ask me,
his parent, to please submit an immunization record for him. You see, this is
the part that confuses me. He’s twelve, for goodness sake. You know he’s twelve
because you know his birthdate, and you’re in charge of teaching him algebra,
so I assume you guys can also do birthday math. So why are you sending this
letter to me?
Don’t you remember the letter that your HIPAA folks sent me
a few months ago when he turned twelve? Do your HIPAA people and your school
district people not talk to each other over there?
How in the world am I supposed to tell you anything about
his immunization record? Your HIPAA department just informed me that I don’t
have access to his medical records anymore now that he’s all grown up, being
twelve and all.
By the way, how old are your HIPAA people over there? I have
to assume they’re all over one hundred and fifty years old. Is that why you
chose the ripe old age of twelve? Because the people writing these laws are all
from the good old days when everyone left the farm at twelve to get a job and
needed to prove to their new employers that all their liniments, tonics, and
salves against consumption and winter fever were up to date?
Anyway, if you want to know about his immunizations, you’ll obviously
need to talk to him. Which leads me to the next thing I’m curious about. Are
you just tired of having anyone over the age of twelve attend school?
Students will not be
allowed to attend classes without an immunization or medical exemption signed
by a physician.
So, in case you’re slow on the uptake, let me recap this for
you. You told the twelve-year-olds that their parents aren’t in charge of their
medical decisions anymore. Then you told them that they have to do a medical
thing or they can’t go to class. So, what you did there was tell twelve-year-olds
that they are now in charge of deciding whether to go to school or not.
I would assume you school district folks have met
twelve-year-olds before. You must see the problem here. Or do all your
old-timey HIPAA people just want them to go get jobs? I can’t figure you guys
out.
Speaking of that, there’s one more thing in this letter that
I can’t figure out. I don’t mean to get all logical on you or anything, but you
started the letter by saying that whooping cough continues to threaten students
in California. Then you said to help stop its spread, students are
required to have proof of a vaccine, or file an exemption?
So, just so I’m clear, one of the ways you plan to stop the
spread of whooping cough is by collecting vaccine exemption letters? Was there
even a meeting on this, or does Phil in the back cubicle just write down
whatever the hell comes into his head and then sends it out to the parents?
Again, not to get all logical on you, but the only way that
makes any sense is if the non-vaccinated kids are required to carry their
exemption letters with them at all times to hold in front of their faces when
they cough. Since my twelve-year-old regularly forgets to carry anything that
isn’t physically attached to him, I don’t see that plan working.
Anyway, good luck getting my son’s vaccination records from
him. He doesn’t know the name of his doctor, the name of his doctor’s medical
practice, the name of our insurance provider, his insurance plan number, the
telephone number to any of the aforementioned offices, the fact that he even
has a vaccination record, or the name of his school district.
Basically he knows the name of his school and the exact time
of each recess.
But I think everything will work out fine, you know, because
he’s twelve now.
See you soon,
-Smidge
Copyright © 2017 Marc Schmatjen
This is genius! Very funny! Sharing it!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much. Share at will!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading,
Smidge
Hysterical and so spot on!
ReplyDeleteThanks DJHL! Thanks for reading.
Delete-Smidge
Hahahahaha! "
ReplyDelete"Anyway, good luck getting my son’s vaccination records from him. He doesn’t know the name of his doctor, the name of his doctor’s medical practice, the name of our insurance provider, his insurance plan number, the telephone number to any of the aforementioned offices, the fact that he even has a vaccination record, or the name of his school district."
That's a lot of reasons why it wasn't such a great idea to put 12 year olds in charge of their own medical records.
Thanks for reading, SDNativeMom! I figured if they wanted to give him medical independence they could just go ahead and try to get payment from him, too.
DeleteCheers,
Smidge
Great letter. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me to send your kid there for an education though.
ReplyDeleteI promise, Amanda, the teachers are smarter than the bureaucrats! Thanks for reading!
Delete-Smidge
Great letter. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me to send your kid there for an education though.
ReplyDeleteHahaha, great response, but only more proof as to why Homeschooling is the fastest growing education choice the last few years!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading, Christy! We would homeschool, but I don't want to have to drink any more than I already do.
DeleteLove this, this is exactly what I have been thinking.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading, Anonymous. Glad you liked it. (And I had no idea giant global hacker rings read my column. Please don't hack into this site and change my name or anything. Thanks!)
DeleteYou nailed it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading, Shannon. Glad you liked it!
Delete