Schools' Swine Flu Vaccinations Mean Questions

The Department of Education sent public school children home with letters asking parents for consent to give the students the H1N1 vaccine. While the CDC confirmed that 11 children died of swine flu last week, it remains to be seen whether parents will opt for the vaccine. One told WCBS 2, "I've decided not to give my kids the vaccine because it's just too new I just feel it's not a lot of research, so I don't know what the side effects are."

Still, Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said, "Vaccination is the best weapon we have against influenza. Children are especially susceptible to the H1N1 strain, so we hope parents will ensure that their kids are protected. Getting vaccinated is safe, effective and simple." (Tell that to Bill Maher!)

And then there's the actual logistics of giving flu shots to, potentially, 1 million public school students. Judith Arroyo, head of Local 436, which represents many school nurses, tells the Daily News, "The city is going to have the school nurse by him or herself. That means taking care of not only everything with H1N1, but also having to take care of the entire school. We feel that creates a very unsafe environment for the children as well as for the nurses." The DOE says there will be another person assisting nurses, but Arroyo wonders if the person is trained and knows CPR.