by Joe Piasecki
Pasadena Sun
The number of Pasadena Unified School District students forced to sit out classes on Monday for failing to receive state-mandated whooping cough vaccinations was far lower than officials had feared.
Two weeks ago, more than 1,200 students needed TDAP (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) shots in order to attend school this week. In the end, only about 150 were forced to stay home, Ann Rector, the district’s coordinator of health programs and services, said.
Hundreds of students lined up Monday morning outside their schools to show proof of vaccination, she said, avoiding a large number of absences that could have cost the district tens of thousands of dollars in state funding.
