Littleton Public Schools will no longer hold COVID-19 vaccination clinics on school campuses after two videos circulated online of students being offered shots without parental consent.
The school district sent a letter to parents on Tuesday, saying that it is “aware of a situation” that happened at a vaccine clinic held at Heritage High School in Littleton on Jan. 21, but did not provide details on what occurred beyond saying that they don’t agree that the company that staffed the clinic – Jogan Health – followed proper protocols.
The letter was sent after videos appeared on Twitter and a far-right website of people receiving shots at the clinic. In one video, a person allegedly lied about their age to make it appear they were older than 18, and in the second video another person provided a note to workers at the clinic to show parental consent after they told him they needed parent approval before giving the shot. Although, both videos show the people leaving just before getting vaccinated.
The Denver Post could not determine who filmed the videos or why they filmed themselves getting the shots, but Colorado public health officials said Tuesday they are concerned it’s part of an anti-vaccine campaign.
“We are concerned this is an intentional attempt to close down vaccine clinics,” said an unnamed spokesman for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment in a statement. “School clinics are an important way the state ensures access to COVID-19 vaccines in places that are convenient.”
The agency said it recommends children 5 and older get inoculated against the virus and that the vaccine is safe and effective in children and teens.
In Colorado, anyone under the age of 18 needs consent from a parent to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. But children are not required to be accompanied by a parent to an appointment if consent is given by phone or via a provider’s online scheduling system, according to the health agency.
It’s also not required that a person show a government ID or other documentation to get vaccinated. In January 2021, soon after the COVID-19 vaccines were available to the public, Colorado’s health department told providers to give the shots without proof of identification as part of its effort to make immunizations more accessible.
Littleton Public Schools had assumed all clinics in the state required a parent to be present during a vaccination, wrote Littleton Public Schools Superintendent Brian Ewert in the letter to parents.
“Regardless, we don’t believe Jogan Health employees followed the proper protocol in obtaining parent permission, potentially putting children at risk,” Ewert said in the letter. “Please know that LPS does not condone the administration of COVID vaccines or any other vaccines to minors without a parent present to provide consent.”
Representatives with both Littleton Public Schools, Jogan Health and Tri-County Health, which hosted the clinic, declined to comment for this story.
Schools are a critical part of the state’s efforts to get children and teens vaccinated against the coronavirus as they make it more accessible for families. Other districts, including Denver Public Schools, offer vaccination clinics at schools for students and their parents.
“Vaccination levels among kids are far from optimal,” said Glen Mays, chair of the Department of Health Systems, Management & Policy at the Colorado School of Public Health. “It would be a setback to discontinue those clinics.”
Yet, vaccination rates among Colorado children and teens have lagged and there’s still hesitation among parents about getting their child immunized against the virus. Only 27% of Colorado children ages 5 to 11 and 59.7% of teens ages 12 to 17 are fully vaccinated, according to the health department.
“Misinformation, in general, has been a big problem for the vaccination campaign,” Mays said. “For children, it’s especially problematic.”
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