School to host COVID, flu clinic

CHENEY – Cheney High School is set to host another pediatric COVID-19 and flu vaccination clinic Dec. 9.

This clinic is open to the community to children between the ages of 5-18 by appointment only.

The clinic will be providing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, which requires two doses.

This clinic will only be open for one session between 4-6:30 p.m., officials said, noting no other clinics are scheduled for the school campus.

Officials said that means that if someone is getting their first dose at this clinic, it’s up to parents and guardians to find another vaccination site for their second dose.

Children ages 5-17 have to provide consent from their parents or legal guardians to get vaccinated, officials said.

Parents don’t have to be present with the child while they receive the vaccine. Superintendent Rob Roettger said via email that the SRHD utilizes the PrepMod program to ensure the student’s consent is official. This is online safeguard that requires a parent’s electronic signature and it is double checked when they show up for the appointment. If the child is coming by themselves, the SRHD independently verifies the consent form before hand.

The Spokane Regional Health Department worked closely with school nurses in the county to make sure the clinics were safe and comfortable for the children, spokeswoman Kelli Hawkins said.

While many of the school districts – including Cheney – have faced backlash for the pediatric clinics, none of the controversy has found its way to the health district directly and all their clinics have been full, Hawkins said. Superintendent Roettger confirmed this and also mentioned that the last vaccine clinic filled up quickly and another 30 slots were added.

The health district treated the COVID-19 vaccine like any other vaccine that is approved for the use of children, she said.

The COVID-19 vaccine is an extremely polarizing subject, but it’s the health district’s job to make sure all of the children in the county have equitable access, she said.

Cheney’s first pediatric vaccine was met with a lot of push back from concerned parents and community members.

Many concerned residents spoke out during the last School Board meeting.

Many of the parents’ concerns centered around freedom of choice and many said they weren’t happy with the School Board giving in to the whims of health district because their vaccine initiatives don’t line up with the community’s views. However there have been parents that have reached out to thank the district for providing the clinics as well. The parents were notified about the clinic as a courtesy via email.

n Cheney reporter John Olsen-Koziol can be emailed at news@cheneyfreepress.com.

Cheney reporter John Olsen-Koziol can be emailed at news@cheneyfreepress.com.