Rising seventh graders at Herbert Hoover Middle School need two shots on file before the first day of school Aug. 25, and Montgomery County is offering them free at four clinic locations through Sept. 25.
The shots are free. No insurance required.
Maryland law requires every student entering seventh grade to have documented Tdap and meningococcal (MCV4) vaccines, according to state immunization regulations. Students who don't provide records or a medical or religious exemption within 20 calendar days of admission can be excluded from class.
The county's Department of Health and Human Services is running free back-to-school vaccination clinics for all MCPS students regardless of insurance status, MyMCMedia reported Aug. 4. Beyond the two required seventh-grade shots, the clinics also offer HPV, varicella, meningococcal B, COVID-19 and flu vaccines at no cost.
"Every child deserves a healthy start to the school year," County Executive Marc Elrich said. "These free clinics help remove barriers for families by making required vaccines easy to access at no cost."
Where to go
Four locations are taking appointments:
- Dennis Avenue Health Center, 2000 Dennis Ave., Silver Spring: 240-777-1050
- Germantown Health Center, 12900 Middlebrook Rd., Germantown: 240-777-3380 (Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m.)
- Silver Spring Health Center, 8630 Fenton St., 10th floor, Silver Spring: 240-777-3160 (Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m.)
- School Health Services Immunization Center, 4910 Macon Rd., Rockville: 240-740-4430 (Tuesday and Thursday, 9:30–11 a.m. and 1:30–2:30 p.m.)
Clinic schedule
According to the official DHHS clinic schedule, upcoming dates before Aug. 25 include the Rockville location on Aug. 6, 10, 13, 18 and 20, the Silver Spring Health Center on Aug. 19, and Dennis Avenue with extended hours on Tuesday, Aug. 11 (9 a.m.–3 p.m.). Clinics continue after school starts, with Dennis Avenue dates on Sept. 4, Sept. 11, Sept. 19 and Sept. 25.
What parents need to do
Families should bring their child's existing immunization records to the appointment. Parents can retrieve records by contacting their school nurse, their pediatrician or through Maryland's MyIR Mobile portal. After the visit, submit updated documentation to the school health office.
The requirement applies to all incoming seventh graders across MCPS, including students entering Hoover Middle School, which feeds into Winston Churchill High School in the Potomac cluster. Students entering ninth grade also need updated records on file.
The last free clinic date is Friday, Sept. 25, but families should aim to have documentation submitted well before the Sept. 14 exclusion enforcement date to keep students in class without interruption.
