Maine Department of Health & Human Services sent this bulletin at 06/16/2025 04:00 PM EDT
To: Maine School Nurses
From: Maine Immunization Program
Subject: Docket for Schools
Date: June 16, 2025
Dear School Nurse,In April, the Maine Immunization Program (MIP) shared information with superintendents introducing Docket for Schools, a new application that simplifies access to student immunization records and streamlines compliance reviews.This tool will become a required platform for all Maine schools beginning in the 2025–26 school year, supporting secure and efficient immunization reporting. It will also enhance year-round compliance oversight in coordination with the Maine Department of Education (DOE) and Maine CDC.We are currently contacting school nurses who are active in ImmPact and working with school administrators to invite them to Docket for Schools. If a school nurse has not yet received an invitation, they should coordinate with their administrator or contact the ImmPact Help Desk (Email: ImmPact.Support@maine.gov or call 207-287-3006)
Action RequiredPlease ensure the following steps are completed:
Forward the Docket for Schools communication* (linked below) to your school nurses.
Ensure nurses receive invitations and access to Docket for Schools.
Only nurses should be assigned the role to view health records.
A registrar role may be used for uploading and maintaining student rosters.
Prepare and submit student rosters using the provided template.
The roster template is available to download directly in Docket for Schools, under the “Dashboard Tab”. If you need assistance downloading your roster, please reach out to the ImmPact help desk.
MIP is available to assist with roster uploads if needed.
Share this information with any staff transitioning into new roles for the 2025–26 school year.
If you have any questions, please contact Kayla Strout, IIS Program Manager, at Kayla.M.Strout@maine.gov.
Docket for Schools – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
FERPA and Data Privacy
Q: Is using the Docket for Schools application a FERPA violation?
A: No. Docket for Schools meets both FERPA and State of Maine data privacy requirements.
Every public or private elementary and secondary school Administrator in Maine will receive an invitation to gain access to Docket for Schools. This administrator is responsible for granting access to additional individuals within the school system. Each authorized user is required to agree to the privacy provisions for use of the system. School information, including rosters and individual student immunization data, can only be viewed by these users. Other school’s users cannot view this information.
State of Maine users cannot access student records. The Maine Immunization Program and Department of Education can view aggregate level data only.
Q: Is there a cost to local schools for this application?
A: No. Docket for Schools is a subscription service paid for by the Maine Immunization Program. There are no implementation or ongoing costs to schools.
Q: Does this application require a parent/guardian consent form?
A: No. Student records cannot be accessed by users outside your school. Consent forms are only required for shared data.
Program Purpose and Requirements
Q: Why are we being asked to use Docket for Schools?
A: Maine Law 20-A M.R.S. 6357 states that the superintendent is responsible for submitting a summary report regarding the immunization status of students within his or her jurisdiction by December 15 each year, on a prescribed form, to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education.
To date, the Maine Immunization Program has received this information through the Annual School Immunization Assessment Survey, completed by the school nurse using Survey Monkey. However, this information is often incomplete, erroneous, or not received. For the 2023–2024 school year, only 77% of schools which had kindergarten, seventh and/or twelfth grade students submitted their required survey. Of the submissions received, 39% of schools had at least one student with missing records.
To effectively ensure that all Maine schools are following the laws governing school immunization requirements, the Maine Immunization Program and Department of Education will now require that all student immunization and exemption data be entered into Docket for Schools. This ensures that every school has uniform record keeping and that aggregate level data is reported as required. By law, reporting is due by December 15th each year, however, compliance will now be monitored throughout the school year and for all grade levels, Pre-K through twelfth.
Q: When are we required to have all student immunization records imported into Docket for Schools?
A: The Maine Immunization Program and Department of Education recognize that the initial transition to Docket for Schools will require substantial effort by school nurses or other authorized school users. For the 2025-2026 school year, schools are expected to obtain all required immunization documentation and ensure compliance at the start of the school year as usual. However, to allow time for data entry, full transition to Docket for Schools is required by December 15, 2025.
Training and Support
Q: Will there be trainings in the fall, or do we need to attend summer sessions?
A: Fall trainings will be offered. While summer sessions are available, we understand many school nurses and other school staff are off during the summer. The fall trainings will provide full support and guidance.
Q: Can this information be sent again to superintendents, principals, and IT with clear communication?
A: Yes. While a communication was sent March 2025 notifying superintendents and principals that Docket for Schools would be required starting the 2025-2026 school year, we will follow up with a more comprehensive and clearly directed message.
System Integration and Access
Q: Will school nurses still have access to ImmPact?
A: Yes, access to ImmPact will remain in place.
Q: Can we still use our electronic health record (e.g., SNAP)?
A: Yes. You can continue using your electronic health record; however, Docket for Schools will be required to track student immunization information.
Q: Are we able to transfer students from one school to another?
A: This functionality is currently in development.
Student Data and Rosters
Q: What if a student’s preferred name is different from their legal name?
A: To successfully query a student record from ImmPact, you must enter the student’s legal name.
Q: What is the “Student ID” section on the roster?
A: It is the section where you input each student’s state student identification (SSID). This helps maintain accurate records, avoids duplicates, and will allow for the transfer of a student from one school to another once that functionality within Docket is finalized.
Q: Why doesn’t the Maine Immunization Program use the NEO roster to upload for each school?
A: Maine DOE is not able to provide this roster information to MIP as it is not maintained in real-time, and it is not finalized information until the end of October.
Q: Why don’t the primary care offices enter this immunization into Docket for Schools?
A: The primary care provider does not know which school your student is associated with. Additionally, Docket for Schools only allows users associated to the school to access student records. Primary care providers will continue to enter immunizations into ImmPact and these records can be added at any time by hitting the search ImmPact button.
Q:Will the Superintendent know that we are out of compliance?
A: Superintendents will have aggregate level data access for their schools. School administrators can grant additional student level authorization if they choose. Aggregate level access will allow the superintendent to view rates for immunizations, exemptions, and non-compliance.
The Maine Immunization Program will provide monthly compliance reports to all superintendents. In addition to overall rates, these reports will also outline the State of Maine school immunization rules and the requirements to enforce these.
System Features
Q: Are we able to query all student records once our roster is uploaded?
A: Yes. Once the roster is uploaded, a “Query All” button is available to retrieve student records.
Q: Can we print a student’s immunization record from Docket for Schools?
A: Yes. You can download and print individual student records.
Q: Does Docket for Schools support multiple languages for follow-up letters?
A: Yes. Letters are available in the following languages:
Q: When we receive a medical exemption, IEP exemption, or a 90-day written assurance, what do we do with that record?
A:Any student that does not have the required number of vaccine doses based on the grade level, is categorized as non-compliant in Docket for Schools. The system allows the user to override this if they have received a signed exemption or written assurance note. Docket for Schools requires that a document be uploaded to claim an override. As a reminder, only the users with authorized access to the school can view uploaded notes.
Q: What happens when there are multiple matches with the same student’s name and date of birth in ImmPact?
A: When uploading your roster into Docket for Schools, a warning will appear indicating a possible duplicate. This will guide you in selecting the correct student record.
Q: Homeschooled students participating in extracurriculars aren’t enrolled in school but must follow immunization requirements. How do we access their records since they’re not on our roster?
A: You should continue to track these students using your current process.
Q: Does Docket automatically update with ImmPact?
A: Not automatically. A nurse must click a button to make the connection to ImmPact to update the student record. This can be done for all students at one time or individually if updating only one student. We encourage users to searchImmPact regularly.
