SUGARLOAF TOWNSHIP -- If you log onto the website for Valley Elementary Middle School, you'll find an alert at the top of the page with all facts about chickenpox.
A letter, which was posted on Facebook, was sent home to parents from Hazleton Area School District administrators and said one child at the school near Conyngham has the virus.
School administrators are now asking students who are not vaccinated against chicken pox to stay home from school until next Wednesday to avoid exposure to the virus.
"We all had chickenpox and we all more or less made it through chickenpox, but you were miserable during that period of time, so why subject yourself to that if you don't need too," said Joseph Clifford of Conyngham.
Parents of Valley Elementary Middle School students said their biggest concern isn't that someone has chickenpox, instead they said the bigger problem is that they think someone is not vaccinating their kids.
"From what I know, you have to have your kids vaccinated to get your kids into this school, so I don't even know how this happened," said Toni Auker, a Valley parent.
According to the Hazleton Area School District's registration guidelines, all students must be fully immunized, which includes one dose of the chickenpox vaccine, unless a child has a medical or religious reason.
Clifford, whose grandchildren go to Valley, believes all kids should get the shot.
"Personally, I believe they should be vaccinated and vaccinated for measles just like you're vaccinated for polio."
Others were surprised to hear that parents got a letter in the first place. School officials said they sent the letter as part of state health department guidelines.
"When I was in school, they never did such a thing. They did not care. They just let you go and do whatever. If you were sick, they just sent you home," said Abigial Zehner.
So far, only one case of chickenpox has been reported at the school. However, parents like Auker said her kids are vaccinated, but she wanted to double check that they would be safe.
"I asked my doctor and they said as long as they had the two shots they should be fine," said Auker.
Hazleton Area school officials said 25 students at Valley Elementary Middle School do not have the vaccination, which means they will be kept out of school until next week.
School officials and the state Department of Health will continue to monitor the situation.
