Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - A senior at Depew High School has been removed from the school after failing to receive a required vaccine booster that she had been given a medical exemption for. Now the family is appealing the decision from the school principal, and sharing their story.
Kayci Rae was officially removed from school back on Oct. 16 after receiving a notice for not having fulfilled her meningitis booster shot. Her family says the district gave her a notice, despite receiving a medical exemption from doctors.
"After her initial meningitis vaccination, I believe it was just three days where she started to have leg pain," said Kayci's aunt Shannon. "Initially, my sister, we all thought it was growing pains. We kind of almost ignored it, because we were like, 'Is just trying to get attention for it?' But then she started showing us her legs when she would get these flares, her legs started to mottle. I don't know if anybody knows what that is, it's almost like a marbling of your skin, and essentially it's a vasospasm of your legs. So her legs would blanch, turn colors, and she would get this pain."
According to Shannon, the issues could flare up at any time for Kayci, whether it's when she's sleeping, during the day, and the problems still continue to this day.
"It's disabling for her," Shannon said in an appearance on WBEN with David Bellavia.
Kayci's family is fearful if she gets the booster shot, her ongoing symptoms are only going to flare up even more.
"She's had her friends give her piggyback rides because her legs would literally hurt her. There was a time where she collapsed at her softball game, which the school nurse was her softball coach and her softball coach witnessed all of this. And she was in softball two, three years ago, and she would actually have to sit out mid-game because her pain would start to flare from the high intensity activity. And her teammates would be there rolling their bats on her legs," Shannon noted. "And she has photos that we sent to the school of this pain episode of like the vasospasms essentially happening."
Shannon's mom, Andrea, says Kayci has been to multiple doctors in an attempt to diagnose what has been going on.
"She's been to the cardiologist, she had to wear a halter, she had an echo done. We went to Rochester, she's had appointments at Dent. They sent her for lab work, X rays, blood work, rheumatology, everything. And then the final thing was, 'Well, you could try physical therapy,' and when we went to that appointment, they're like, 'We just don't know what's wrong with your daughter,'" Andrea told WBEN's David Bellavia. "The only factor that we came to a conclusion on was this all started after she got the vaccine."
She says the last doctor the family visited told Kayci she 'can't get this vaccine,' pinning it to what has been causing her problems.
"One of the side effects is joint pain, so he then wrote the exemption that she cannot receive this, because some people do have reactions after the vaccine. And unfortunately, my daughter was one of them," Andrea said.
What frustrates Kayci's family is they feel the principal of the high school does not believe there is an issue here.
"I got a letter from Depew schools, from the principal, stating, 'This is not a New York State license' - I have that in a note that he wrote me. And if you look up this doctor and his practice, he is New York State licensed. That was a lie that the school sent me," Andrea claimed.
"He told me my note was suspicious, because I had one doctor write one and then I had another doctor write one. And I don't know if in their head, in Depew's head, that I was doctor hopping, which I wasn't. She's vaccinated up until this point, she has gotten every vaccine on time. It's just that this one didn't agree with her."
The family furthers the superintendent of the school has not contacted them, only the principal. And while they say the final decision lies within the principal, they feel the principal is wrongly believing there's no valid reason.
At this time, the family is appealing the principal's decision, and are prepared, if necessary, to fight this matter in court.
"We contacted a lawyer, our lawyer is in contact with the school's lawyer, but we did appeal. And it's just in the process of going through, and we'll see the outcome," Andrea said. "If not, then we have to go to court, and that's what I plan on doing."
Aunt Shannon is asking for the public and others who may have a child with a vaccine-injury situation to share this story and support getting Kayci back in school.
"The more stories that people share online, to news stations and even other parents that have medical exemptions that are getting declined, these schools are banking on these parents to not put up a fight. The more parents that put up a fight, get lawyers, contact news stations, the more they get pushed back, the better ground we have to stand on. And that's what's been happening," Shannon said.
WBEN has received the following statement from the Depew Central School District in response to this story:
"Under New York State Public Health Law Section 2164 and its corresponding regulations at 10 NYCRR 66-1, New York State school districts are required to prohibit unvaccinated students from attending public school. The New York State Departments of Education and Health have published a joint guidance on how the State interprets those laws. The District takes seriously its obligations to comply with relevant legal requirements related to student immunizations.
"The District acknowledges that one or more former students of the District were excluded from attending school this year due lack of immunization. The student’s or students’ parents have been advised both verbally and in writing of the basis for such exclusion. Parent(s) are further advised that they become responsible to homeschool their child(ren) or adhere to the process of immunization to permit their child(ren) to return to school. Further, parent(s) are advised of their right to appeal the school building’s decision to the New York State Commissioner of Education."