Fountain Hills board holds first reading of revamped immunization and public‑records regulations

The Fountain Hills Unified School Board opened a first reading of revised policy advisories to align district immunization and records rules with Arizona law and health‑department guidance.

At the meeting the chair described the overhaul of policy JLCB and related regulations, saying the revisions "conform to the Arizona Department of Health Regulations and Arizona Statute." The proposed regulation removes detailed vaccine lists from policy and instead directs readers to the regulation for required and non‑required immunizations. It states that "schools may not require immunization for COVID‑19 or any variant of COVID‑19 unless the immunization is first prescribed by rule adopted pursuant to ARS 36‑672(a)," and adds language regarding outbreak exclusions and recordkeeping.

Dr. Jay and board members also highlighted added language on enrollment documentation and immunization records, citing an AACR provision for notification procedures when records are unavailable. The regulation would require that an immunization record include the date each required vaccine dose was received and that a transferred immunization record accompany the permanent student record "at no charge" when requested.

Board members raised clarity concerns about the COVID‑19 sentence, calling parts of the regulation "circular" and difficult to parse at first reading. One member suggested removing redundant text and rewording the regulation for clarity; the chair agreed to flag the specific regulation (JLCB) for the board's October work‑study session so staff can redraft the language.

Separately, the board reviewed proposed changes to the district's public‑records regulation (KDBR) that add a named point of contact and require an acknowledgement within five business days. Board members asked how the 5‑business‑day acknowledgement would be handled if a staff member is out of the office; staff said the district typically issues an automated or backup reply and that, operationally, responses often occur within 24 hours.

The proposed advisory and regulations were presented as a first reading; board members did not vote on final adoption at the meeting. The board scheduled further review during the Oct. 26 work‑study session.