North Carolina families will have more time to get their children's required immunizations in order for them to attend school.
It's part of Gov. Roy Cooper's Executive Order 234 and a memo issued by State Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson.
Students are required by state law to have certain vaccinations based on their age. Typically, that needs to happen within 30 days of the first date of attendance. After that, children aren't allowed to be in school until the family provides documentation.
This year, the 30-day grace period for all students will begin on Nov. 1. But families will have to provide proof of an upcoming appointment.
The extension also applies to health assessments for students enrolling in school for the first time. The goal is to reduce pandemic-related barriers, so kids can stay in class.
This comes as the North Carolina Pediatric Society says practices are being squeezed thin because of the delta variant, low staffing and other challenges.
And despite their best efforts to catch patients up this summer, several practices said hundreds of children were being excluded from school last week due to delays in getting their standard vaccines.
Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news