Vaccine.” Taken from the Latin for “cow,” it dates back to the late eighteenth century, when the first vaccine (for smallpox) was derived from cowpox, a related illness caught by milkmaids. Rumor at the time also had it that taking the cow shot (as it were) could give you unnatural cow traits (like horns), but we won’t traffic in the fake news. That stuff can be found enough places these days. On the subject of vaccines, meanwhile, what’s the local school report for immunizations these days? Smallpox, diphtheria, measles whooping cough, tetanus—what are the official statistics on herd immunity there?

Catalogued down at the State of Wisconsin health department website, the k-12 immunization records—excluding all personally identifiable data—tell an interesting story, but also a potentially troubling one. Put simply, not all schools and classrooms are the same in terms of herd immunity, based on vaccination rates. With more worried parents taking the skip ever since it was reported 22 years ago in The Lancet that the MMR vaccine might cause autism (a claim since debunked by double-blind ‘gold standard’ scientific studies), the return of once feared illnesses is not outside the realm of possibility, with some schools in greater compliance than others. First, the minimum requirements.

With “Immunization of Students” laid out in chapter 144 of DHS statutes and meant to implement Chapter 252.04 of the Wisconsin law code, the purpose of immunization “is to prevent disease and suffering and any permanent disability resulting from the disease,” per 144.01. As such, there are minimum requirements that each school, and/or daycare is expected to meet prior to a child’s entry therein. With waivers allowed for certain health reasons, (DHS 144.04) as well as religious of personal conviction (DHS 144.05), immunizations for measles, mumps, and rubella “shall have been received on or after the date of the first birthday,” per DHS statute 144.03(2) (b). An MMR vaccine received four days or less before the first birthday is within this timetable.

As for the vaccines that protect against Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis (Whooping Cough), along with that for Polio, DHS requirements state that those who receive a third dose of either of said vaccines before their fourth birthday do not need to receive a fourth dose, while those who demonstrate a “reliable history” of Varicella (chicken pox) do not As of the 2008-09 school year, students entering grades 6, 9 and 12 are required to have received the Tdap vaccine in addition to other required vaccines as contained in the table. Those students who have received a Tdap vaccine “within five years of entering a grade for which Tdap is required,” are not required to receive a Tdap vaccine, per DHS 144.03 (2)(i). With all that being said, what are the currently reported vaccination rates, by school? We’re glad you asked!

Starting with the Stanley Elementary School, compliance with state-required student vaccinations was 94 percent, with the high school registering a compliance of 93 percent, seven percent of Stanley-Boyd elder classmen having a personal conviction waiver.

Shifting over to Boyd Elementary, meanwhile, a full 94 percent of students met the minimum immunization requirements set by state law, with less than five percent “in process,” “behind schedule,” “had no immunization record,” or with a health or religious waiver at Boyd Elementary. Six percent of Boyd Elementary students, meanwhile, had a “personal conviction waiver.”

Stanley-Boyd Middle School, 88 percent of students met the minimum vaccination requirements as set by the state for the 2019-2020 school year, with less than five percent of students considered “in process,” along with less than five percent of students who were “behind schedule,” “had no immunization record,” or with a health or religious waiver. Eleven percent of Stanley-Boyd middle schoolers, meanwhile, had a “personal conviction waiver,” the interactive DHS school map not elaborating.

For Stanley-Boyd overall, the percentage in compliance with minimum vaacination requirements came out to 92.1 percent as of the 2019-2020 school year.

Moving from Stanley-Boyd to the home of the Cardinals, 93 percent of Thorp Elementary students met the minimum vaccination requirements set by the state, with that number dropping to 85 percent for Thorp High School students, for a district-wide average of 90.8 percent of public school students in compliance with minimum vaccination requirements. Less than five percent of Thorp public elementary students had a personal conviction waiver, whereas 12 percent of Thorp High School students did.

Driving up Highway 73 and turning left onto 64, we arrive at Gilman, where 88 percent of Gilman Elementary students met minimum state requirements while six percent were “behind schedule” and less than five percent had a personal conviction or other waiver. For Gilman High the numbers changed slightly, to 93 percent meeting minimum state vaccination requirements, less than five percent “behind schedule” and less than five percent with a personal conviction or other waiver. All told, 90.3 percent of Gilman School District attendees were in compliance with minimum vaacination requirements, no corresponding private school being listed to complement public education in the Home of the Swinging Bridge.

Switching over to Cadott and the home of the Hornets, 92 percent of Cadott Elementary School students met minimum vaacination requirements, with that number being 94 percent for the junior high and 95 percent for the high school, the threescore average coming out to 93.5 percent of district students. No local parochial school was listed for Cadott. Speaking of which, it’s time for an elementary statistics reminder: correlation is not causation, and the appearance of two things being related does not necessarily mean that one thing CAUSED the other. It may be unquantifiable, or else the result of a third factor affecting both. Lower overall numbers in terms of enrolled students can also dreasticllay affect official percentages for private school education. That said, what of non-public school vaccination rates?

In the first place, they are generally lower. While Mennonite and Amish schools in the local area generally have “no report received” on their DHS green dot listing, Shiloh Mennonite School up by Conrath reports 67 percent of students in compliance with minimum state vaacination requirements for the 2019-2002 school year, while seven percent had no immunization record and 20 percent had a personal conviction waiver.

Down at the Eternity Learning Center associated with the Remnant Church of God (and placed on the wrong end of Tenth Avenue at the DHS immunization map site, but never mind that)—down at the Eternity Learning Center in Stanley, 35 percent of students were reported as meeting the minimum vaacination requirement, while less than five percent were “behind schedule,” “had no immunization record,” or carried a health or religious waiver. At the same time, a full 65 percent of students at the Eternity Learning Center were reported to have a personal conviction waiver on the state health website immunization map.

Shifting over to Thorp Catholic School, meanwhile, the reported figures were 85 percent in compliance with state minimum immunization requirements and 15 percent with a personal conviction waiver, all other categories being less than five percent. For Abundant Life Christian Academy on Thorp’s southeast side, the numbers were 52 percent in compliance with minimum state immunization requirements, six percent of students tagged as “in process,” another six percent with no immunization record, and 31 percent with a personal conviction waiver. All other statistically reported categories at Abundant Life Christian Academy were listed as ‘less than five percent.’ Closing out the local school immunization tour at Saint Joseph’s Catholic School in Boyd, 88 percent of students met minimum requirements for immunization as mandated for public health reasons by the state of Wisconsin, 12 percent had a personal conviction waiver, and no other statistical reporting category topped the ‘less than five percent’ mark.