Mother angry after daughter vaccinated without her permission

DETROIT - Sighle Kinney is fuming after her 14-year-old daughter was given four shots by the school nurse at Marcus Garvey Academy without her permission.

The daughter said she was called out of class by the school nurse on Jan. 30 and sent to the school’s clinic, which is operated by St. John’s Medical.

While there, she was given four vaccinations, including the one for HPV. It was the shot for HPV that really touched a nerve.

Sighle was furious. She said she never gave consent for the shots to the school or St. John’s – Sighle said she even signed a document indicating never to administer medical treatment to her daughter.

“I told them – if she falls, give her a Band Aid, or if she has a headache, give her an aspirin – that’s it,” she said.

A week after getting the shots, Sighle’s 14-year-old daughter came down with a rash on her arms that spread to the rest of her body.

Sighle said someone needs to be held accountable.

“I’m angry with everybody. You know, St. John’s should have better nurses. How are you going to overlook something like this? You injected my child with medicine I never wanted her to have,” she said.

A spokesperson for Detroit Public Schools issued the following statement when asked about the situation:

The staff at the clinic must maintain confidentiality with the students and the parents of the students. Detroit Public Schools staff members are not informed of any services that are provided for any students, and this policy is regularly communicated by the clinic staff to the school staff.  All paperwork or parent permission slips are provided to students who are instructed by the clinic to return it directly to the nurse.

The school's principal upon learning of this concern was immediately responsive to the mother and instructed her to take her very serious concerns to St. John's, which operates the clinic.

St. John Providence Health System has also released a statement. It reads as follows:

St. John Providence Health System is aware of a situation involving a student treated at the health clinic at the Marcus Garvey Academy.

We will meet with the student’s family to ensure that the issue is addressed appropriately.