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# Montgomery County offers free vaccine clinics ahead of school year
- URL: https://www.themontgomerybrief.org/montgomery-county-offers-free-vaccine-clinics-ahead-of-school-year/
- Published: 2026-08-06T00:12:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-29T16:53:38.000Z
- Author: Cristina Caicedo Smit
- Tags: Education, News

### Under state law, Maryland schools must keep proof of required shots on file for every student from kindergarten through 12th grade.

Families in Montgomery County have until Friday, Sept. 25, to get free, walk-in access to the school vaccines Maryland requires, county health officials said.

The county’s Department of Health and Human Services opened the clinics to help parents avoid a last-minute scramble, and the risk that unvaccinated kids get turned away from class.

Under state law, Maryland schools must keep proof of required shots on file for every student from kindergarten through 12th grade.

Incoming seventh graders need both a Tdap booster and a meningococcal vaccine before the first bell rings. Health officials are urging parents to get updated records to their school’s health office before classes start, rather than waiting to be notified of a problem.

But the clinics are not just for seventh graders. Any Montgomery County Public Schools student can get free shots regardless of insurance status, including Tdap, meningococcal, HPV, chickenpox, MMR, meningococcal B and COVID-19 vaccines.

County Executive Marc Elrich framed the effort as both a family convenience and a public-health measure. “These free clinics help remove barriers for families by making required vaccines easy to access at no cost,” he said, adding that keeping students current on shots “helps prevent the spread of disease in our schools.”

Four county clinics are taking 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

Some children may qualify for additional free vaccines, such as polio or pneumococcal shots; a benefit open to those 18 and younger who are uninsured, on Medicaid, or who are American Indian or Alaska Native. Families should call one of the clinics above to check eligibility.

Details on the state’s full immunization requirements are posted on the Maryland Department of Health’s Center for Immunization website, and the county’s full clinic schedule is on the DHHS Vaccines for Children webpage.