Student Health and Safety Information

Posted Date: 08/21/26 (04:05 PM)

Our students' well-being is always a top priority, and we are committed to doing everything we can to keep our students, staff, and families safe and healthy. As we prepare for the new school year, we want to remind families of the importance of keeping student immunizations up to date. With a measles outbreak occurring in a nearby community, this is an important time to review your child’s immunization status and learn how you can help protect your family and our school community from preventable infections.

The information below includes Iowa’s student immunization requirements, important information about measles, and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on prevention and protection.

Measles: It Isn't Just a Little Rash

Measles can be dangerous, especially for babies and young children.

Measles symptoms typically include:

High Fever (may spike more than 104°)
Cough
Runny Nose
Red and/or Watery Eyes
Rash (breaks out 3-5 days after symptoms begin)

Measles can be serious. Measles can cause severe health complications, including pneumonia, swelling of the brain (encephalitis), and death.

1 out of 5 people who get measles will be hospitalized
1 out of every 20 children with measles will get pneumonia, the most common cause of death from measles in young children
1 out of every 1,000 people with measles will develop brain swelling, which may lead to brain damage
1 to 3 out of 1,000 people with measles will die

Long-term complications: A very rare, but deadly disease called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis can develop 7 to 10 years after a person has recovered from measles.

You have the power to protect your child.

Provide your children with safe and long-lasting protection against measles by making sure they get the measles-mumpsrubella (MMR) vaccine.

Help Your Child’s School Prevent the Spread of Infections

You can play an important role in helping your child have a healthy place to learn. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed guidance for schools to help students, families, and school staff keep kids healthy and learning.

Here are some ways you can help your child’s school stop the spread of germs:

Encourage your child to practice healthy habits, like washing their hands often and covering their mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing
Make sure your child goes for their yearly check-ups and gets the recommended routine vaccines they need. This helps keep your child healthy and in school by reducing the spread of germs in school and making sickness shorter and milder.
Know when your child is well enough to go to school and when they should stay home because of their symptoms. Some reasons to have your child stay home include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and respiratory symptoms that are getting worse or not improving. Guidance on staying home when sick can also help you decide whether your child needs to stay home.

Health and Safety Information

Student Immunization Requirements

Student health requirements can be found on our website at ottumwaschools.com/immunizations

Please review all mandated vaccines for students entering Kindergarten, 3rd grade, 7th grade, 9th grade, and 12th grade.

ottumwaschools.com