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Information for schools interested in hosting a school-located vaccination (SLV) event

SLV events can meet your school’s goals of:

  • Increased number of vaccinated children and students who are in compliance with Colorado’s immunization requirements. 
  • Increased vaccine access for students who are:
    • From diverse backgrounds.
    • Economically disadvantaged.
    • From families whose primary language is not English.
  • Improved attendance.
  • Increased connection to student families and communities.

On-time vaccination throughout childhood and adolescence is essential as it provides immunity before children and adolescents are exposed to potentially life-threatening diseases.

Colorado law (Board of Health rule 6 CCR 1009-2) requires all students attending Colorado schools and licensed child cares to be vaccinated against certain diseases, unless an exemption is filed.

Students not in compliance with Colorado’s immunization requirements must be denied attendance per Colorado Board of Health rule 6 CCR 1009-2 (Section V).

Reaching high vaccination coverage of school-age children is an essential public health objective, as outlined in Healthy People 2030 and the National Association of School Nurses’ (NASN) position statement.

Senate Bill 20-163 created the vaccinated children standard, which aims to ensure that 95% of the student population at every school is vaccinated for all school-required vaccines. 

While SLV events support child and adolescent health, they do not replace regular well-child checks. Schools should refer students to a primary care provider or pediatrician for routine care and screenings.

Not all schools can host a SLV event. If this is true for your school, refer students and families to health care providers who can meet the vaccine needs of the child/adolescent, including considerations for insurance status, age, and availability.

Contact individual vaccine providers for more information.

This list is not an exhaustive list or an endorsement or recommendation by CDPHE. There may be other vaccine providers operating in Colorado that are not listed here.

Outlining the SLV event with your vaccine provider and understanding capacities and expectations can help make it successful. 

Template for outlining the scope of your SLV event.

  • If available, use your school’s software to run a report for immunization compliance.
  • For technical assistance, contact your school’s vendor (i.e., Infinite Campus, PowerSchool, other). 
  • Cross-reference your school’s vaccination records with the Colorado Immunization Information System (CIIS). 
    • The following resources and job aids can support school staff in accessing and using CIIS: 
      • General
      • Frequently used CIIS reports and forms 
        • How to generate a Colorado Certificate of Immunization
        • Student and child care roster with immunization status
        • Immunization rates report
        • How to run the school certificate of immunization (batch)
      • Exemptions
        • Reviewing Certificates of Nonmedical Exemption for school and child care staff
        • How to run a students with active exemptions report in CIIS
      • Additional resources for school/child care users
        • School and child care immunization data reporting (SCCIDR)
        • Immunization resources for child care, schools, camps, and colleges/universities
          • School-required vaccines
          • Immunization forms (Certificate of Immunization, notice of requirement, notice of exclusion)
          • Vaccine exemptions in Colorado (Information, exemption forms, the Online Immunization Education Module)

For assistance with CIIS, email cdphe_ciis_schools@state.co.us.

Some school communities may not be able to find a vaccine provider, or there may be low interest or support for the event. If so, make sure you know about resources available for referring students to local immunization services.

If your community vaccine partner has limited capacity for providing SLV events, consider prioritizing schools with low immunization rates and high noncompliance, as those can be indicators of vaccine access barriers.

When identifying a partner, make sure you outline the scope of your SLV event and understand if the vaccine provider is able to:

  1. Offer the vaccines students need. 
  2. Vaccinate students across your school’s entire age range.
  3. Provide services for uninsured, under-insured, and insured students, including those on Medicaid.

If the vaccine provider can meet some but not all of the students’ needs, communicate this in your registration process and refer families to vaccine providers in your community.  

The following resources can help you connect with a community vaccine provider to discuss partnering on a SLV event. There may be options to partner with more than one provider.

Not all providers are available for SLV events. Call for more information.

This list is not an exhaustive list or an endorsement or recommendation by CDPHE. There may be other vaccine providers operating in Colorado that are not listed here.

Communicating the roles and responsibilities of school nurses, administrators, custodial staff, the community vaccine provider, and others will support success before, during, and after the event.

This document is an example of outlining roles and responsibilities.

Washington’s Immunity Community created a mobile immunization toolkit with a six-week timeline that you can adapt to fit your needs.

The following are sample checklists to support schools and vaccine providers in holding a successful event.

Create a promotional and communication plan for your SLV event that reaches your intended audience, including timing and method of communication.

Timing

  • Promote your event with plenty of time (more than one month) to get a good turnout. 
  • Adjust your communication to the level of interest. 
    • For example, if interest is below expectations, increase the frequency and methods of communication.

Method

  • The scale of your SLV event influences how you promote. 
    • For example, if your vaccine provider can only vaccinate a certain group of people, limit your communication to that group.
    • Applying a pre-registration process can help match resources with those interested in attending. 
  • Ask families and staff about the best ways to promote the event.
  • Equitably publicize your event, being mindful of those with limited access to technology. Promote the event in the preferred languages used in your school with clear instructions for people needing vaccines. 
    • Be clear about who the clinic is for – those who have an appointment, those who have been pre-screened, etc. 
    • If someone does not meet the criteria for the SLV event, create a referral process that provides information on where they can get vaccinated.
    • If pre-scheduling will be used, provide instructions on how to set up appointments.
  • Post flyers that will be visible to parents/guardians/caregivers (school front doors, front office, bulletin boards).
  • Submit electronic flyers to the school's website and/or newsletter.
    • The district webmaster or communications team may be able to assist in creating accessible public-facing information.
  • Use a school messenger platform to call, text, or email.
  • If possible, send an electronic consent form with your promotion to limit the need to get consent on the day of the event.

Sample flyers: English | Spanish

Make certain the community immunization partner(s) will enter vaccinations into the Colorado Immunization Information System, including historical immunization data (i.e., an immunization record from childhood or another state/country).

Per Colorado Revised Statutes 25-4-2403(2.5) and 25-4-2403, immunizing providers are required to submit immunization, medical exemption, and nonmedical exemption data into the Colorado Immunization Information System.

For assistance with CIIS, email cdphe_ciis_schools@state.co.us.  

Some students will need additional doses of school-required or routinely recommended vaccines to catch them up according to their age after the SLV event.  

If applicable, Colorado law requires the parent/guardian to submit a signed written plan for obtaining the remaining school-required vaccines, following the ACIP schedule for minimum intervals and ages.

The role of the vaccine provider is to write the plan and provide follow-up instructions and referrals for continued immunization services.

Consider providing this sample parent communication to parents/guardians before they leave the SLV event. 

  • Create a positive vaccination environment. 
  • Minnesota Department of Health: Recommendations for welcoming and inclusive vaccine sites
  • Addressing vaccination anxiety 
  • Privacy and confidentiality
    • The vaccine provider is required to protect health information and should follow all state and federal laws, as well as their agency’s policies and procedures. 
    • Design your event so that people have private space apart from others and they may discuss their child’s health status and receive answers in a confidential manner. 
    • Follow policies and procedures related to the use of CIIS. 
    • Follow the school’s privacy policies and procedures.
    • Understand what information can be requested from students and families, and someone's right to receive publicly funded vaccines. See information on Senate Bill 23-260: Individual access to publicly funded vaccines.
  • Cost
    • Ensure vaccines are available at no or minimal cost. 
    • Most health plans must cover preventive services, such as vaccines and screening tests, at no cost.
      • These services are offered at no cost only when delivered by a provider within the plan’s network.
      • Work with your community vaccine provider to understand their capacity to bill insurance. 
      • Clearly communicate with families if the provider cannot bill one or more insurance types and offer referral resources. 
  • Consent
    • Ensure the vaccine provider has a process for obtaining parent/guardian consent. This can be done within the pre-registration process. 
    • Review processes for missing consent forms when the parent/guardian is not present, such as contacting them via telephone per organizational policies. 
    • The State of Colorado does not require minors to be accompanied to a vaccine appointment as long as parental/guardian consent is collected and shared prior to the appointment. This can be done through a paper form or through the vaccine provider’s online scheduling system. The provider may also get consent by phone and document it in the patient’s record. 
    • Some vaccine providers may require children to have a parent/guardian with them at their appointment.
  • Addressing equity concerns
    • Guidance for creating welcoming and inclusive vaccination sites. 
    • Consider scheduling SLV events during times that will meet the needs of families who may face barriers to being present with their children.
      • For example, schedule a clinic during the early evening for parents/guardians who work during the day.
    • Ensure interpretation and translation services are available before and at the event, if needed. 
      • Consider using language services such as Language Link and Talking Points to communicate with families whose primary language is different from your own in advance of the event.
    • Consider having cultural representatives or community leaders present.
    • Invite community agencies that can support the needs of your school population such as housing, health insurance, literacy, education, transportation, support with paying bills, child care, etc. 
    • Use non-verbal communication tools from the Autism Society of Colorado.
  • Transportation
    • Schedule the event when students and parents/guardians are already present, such as student/teacher conferences, registration, etc. 
    • Schedule the event at a location where public transportation is available (if possible) and/or before the afternoon bus.
  • Attendance
    • Team up with school leaders to come up with ideas to boost attendance.
    • Promote the event early and often. 
    • Consider this as an opportunity to host an event where parents/guardians can connect with one another and their school community. 
      • Invite other community partners, such as the local library, insurance navigators, food and housing security resources, and others.
    • Think about having food and/or child care as an added incentive. 
  • Security
    • Follow school policies and procedures.
    • Meet with the district’s risk manager or other similar position to review and address concerns they may have.