School Reporting Requirements

Schools and daycare facilities are required by state statute to report student vaccination information electronically to the Louisiana Immunization Program. Each year the program works with facilities throughout the state to ensure reports are submitted through LINKS (Louisiana's immunization information system) by set deadlines. The Program collects aggregate data in LINKS school module and performs special assessments on data related to students attending kindergarten and sixth grade in Louisiana. Aggregate state-level data is then sent to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as required.

The Immunization Program also analyzes collected data locally and develops parish and school level data maps and graphs so that the program, schools, and parents can assess the following:

• % of students with complete vaccination records in each parish/at each school
• % of students with missing or incomplete vaccination records in each parish/at each school
• % of students with an exemption on file in each parish/at each school
• # of schools that did not report data as required (statewide)

Deadline for reporting student vaccination data: October 1

Louisiana Reporting Laws

REVISED STATUTE 17:170

• Chief administrators of all elementary and secondary schools, kindergartens, colleges, universities, proprietary schools, vocational schools, and licensed day care centers whether public or private within this state shall:
  1. Be responsible for checking students' records to see that the provisions of this Section are enforced.
  2. Electronically transmit immunization compliance reports to the Louisiana Department of Health, office of public health, when the public or private school operates an existing student-specific electronic data system.
• The provisions of this Section which relate to the electronic transmission of data shall be implemented according to rules and regulations promulgated by the Louisiana Department of Health in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.

TITLE 51 PUBLIC HEALTH-SANITARY CODE (LAC 51:II.701)

On or before October 1 of each year the operator of each day care center, nursery school, or residential facility enrolling or housing any child 18 years or under, shall submit a preliminary immunization status report of all children enrolled or housed as of that date. Forms for submittal shall be provided by the state health officer, and shall include identifying information for each child, and for each dose of vaccine received by the child since birth.

How to Submit Reports

If your school needs to begin submitting student vaccination information to the Louisiana Department of Health, as required in statute, you must do so through the school module within Louisiana's immunization information system (IIS) called LINKS. The first step is contacting a Regional Imunization Consultant in your area who will provide guidance on getting enrolled in LINKS and trained on how to use the LINKS school module. See the information below to contact the appropriate consultant in your area.