Bethesda and Chevy Chase families with students missing required immunizations need to act before MCPS classes begin Tuesday, Aug. 25. Montgomery County is offering the shots at no cost.
The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services is running free vaccination clinics for all MCPS students, regardless of insurance status, through Sept. 25, according to a county press release.
Students missing required vaccines can be excluded from school.
Available vaccines include Tdap, meningococcal, HPV, varicella (chickenpox), MMR, meningococcal B and COVID-19. All students entering seventh grade must receive the Tdap and meningococcal vaccines. Children 18 and younger who are uninsured, enrolled in Medicaid, or American Indian/Alaska Native may qualify for additional vaccines such as polio or pneumococcal.
Maryland law requires schools to maintain proof of required immunizations on file for every student in kindergarten through 12th grade. Parents and guardians should submit updated records to their child's school health office before the first day.
County Executive Marc Elrich said in the Aug. 4 press release that the clinics help remove barriers for families by making required vaccines available at no cost, and urged parents to review their children's immunization records and make an appointment if any vaccines are needed.
The push comes as measles cases nationwide have hit a 35-year high. As of an Aug. 6 news conference led by Elrich, the CDC had confirmed 2,371 measles cases in 2026, the highest annual total since 1991, according to MyMCMedia. Maryland had recorded 13 cases statewide.
Dr. Georges Benjamin, CEO of the American Public Health Association, said at that Aug. 6 briefing that Maryland's high vaccination rates explain why "we are not seeing the outbreaks that we're seeing in other states."
DHHS representatives will also be on hand at some of the six regional MCPS back-to-school fairs on Saturday, Aug. 22, offering free immunizations and answering questions about physicals and mental health.
How to book
Four county clinics are accepting appointments:
- Dennis Avenue Health Center: 240-777-1050
- Germantown Health Center: 240-777-3380
- Silver Spring Health Center: 240-777-3160
- School Health Services Immunization Center: 240-740-4430
Families can also visit the DHHS Vaccines for Children webpage at montgomerycountymd.gov for the full clinic schedule. Appointments are available through Sept. 25.
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