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By REBECCA NESBIT
Staff Writer
More than 200 Orange County
elementary school students are back
in the classrooms after they were
asked last month to stay at home until
they complied with the new state
immunization law.
The General Assembly amended
the law this summer to increase the
number of shots kindergarten and
first-grade students must have, said
Susan Spalt, home health coordina
tor for Chapel Hill-Carrboro city
schools. The new law also tightened
the timetable for students to get their
shots.
The law drastically increased the
number of local elementary students
not in compliance. This year 221
students failed to comply, compared
to only 10 students last year, said
Judy Butler, the acting school health
coordinator of the county health
department.
"We're just trying to provide
protection against communicable
diseases," Butler said. "All of the
requirements in the new law now have
always been recommended. It's good
now that they're required."
The law also includes a provision
that would fine school principals $500
per day for each unimmunized child
after school had been in session 30
days, which was Sept. 25 for local
schools.
By Sept. 28, all but 76 students
came to school immunized or with
immunization records. Those not in
compliance were asked to leave
school until they had received the new
state-required shots or found records
of these shots.
The new law requires five rounds
of immunization shots, instead of
three, for diphtheria, pertussis and
tetanus (DPTs); four oral polio
vaccines, instead of three; one shot
for measles, mumps and rubella.
"All states have immunization
laws, but North Carolina is one of
the stricter ones, and we're proud of
that because we have reasonably
lower rates than many of the states,"
Butler said.
The majority of the students in
violation of immunization laws were
in kindergarten or first grade, and
many of them were excluded from
school because they lacked one of the
boosters required after the age of
four, Butler said.
Local schools also asked many
transfer students to leave classes
because their former schools idid not
send immunization records,
said. ' y :r';:
The schools made efforts to inform
parents of the new law, she said. The
- health department sent two letters to
the parents of children with inade
quate records, followed by one phone
call. If the parent was not reached,
a third letter was sent.
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By CHARLA PRICE
Staff Writer
For some students, stress piles
up along with exams and papers. .
Keeping that potentially harm
ful stress to a minimum is often
a difficult task, but Chapel Hill
psychologist Shirley Sanders says
it's not impossible.
When a person has high expec
tations about something, stress
often results from fear of not
achieving those expectations, said
Sanders, who used to work at
UNCs Student Health Service.
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Students become preoccupied
with "I just can't get it done," and
this interferes with their ability to
concentrate, Sanders said.
"Students have so much static
in their system from looking back
at what they haven't done, and
looking ahead at all they have to
do, that they cannot concentrate
on what they need to get done,",
she said.
Sanders said students think
learning is supposed to be hard,
that they "really have to sweat to
make good grades." This feeling
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only increases stress and interfer
with the learning process.'
She emphasized that althout
there is no substitute for studyinl
it can be done in an environmei
with less pressure. ,
"Students need to relax and nc
prejudge what they need to do,
they can study and maintain an!
retrieve information, Sandei
said.
Often this stress leads to anxieti
attacks. Sanders said this physics
feeling of stress is the bod
reacting as if failure has already
will have even
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The Daily Tar
s to alleviate stress
occurred.
According to Sanders, a good
way to deal with stress is to reverse
the tension. Taking time to relax
the mind and the body allows
students to study more effectively.
"Methods such as progressive
relaxation and meditation can
help the mind relax and focus
better," she said.
Sanders said most students tend
to feel a certain amount of pressure
during midterm exams, and that
even students who appear to be
relaxed may be experiencing the
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same feelings.
"Appearances can be deceiv
ing," she said. "It is important that
students recognize that they are
not alone in their feelings of stress
and that something can be done
to alleviate these feelings."
Studying in groups to create
positive reinforcement is helpful,
especially before exams, she said.
Talking through feelings of anx
iety can help, too.
When such methods are not
effective and students cant relax,
counseling is in order, she said.
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