MARION — Marion Public Health Nurse Kathy Downey was on-hand as Tabor Academy students returned to campus and said the school did an “an absolutely amazing job,” at testing and vaccinations a Sept. 1 Board of Health meeting. 

Only two students who either showed symptoms or couldn’t answer yes to symptom screening questions were sent home, and two students who lived more than four hours away from campus are being quarantined in the academy’s health center.

Students were encouraged to get the flu shot, and Downey said that 308 students were vaccinated, which was about double what the school did last year.

She said Town Administrator Jay McGrail and Town Finance Director Judy Mooney also came out to observe the drive-thru procedure.

Vaccinations will become a central issue in the next few weeks, as the state is now requiring all pre-school to grade 12 students to get a flu shot.

Downey said the town requested 425 vaccinations, up from the more or less 200 they asked for the year prior.

Despite the asking number, the town only received 310 children vaccinations as of yesterday, and it has already used 308 of them, leaving the town with only two available doses.

Because of this, Downey said that schools may need to do a clinic on-campus to administer vaccinations, something she is not particularly in favor of, but said that it may be necessary.