ERIC BRADY The Roanoke Times

The Montgomery County Health Department had H1N1 flu vaccines for only three county schools last week — Margaret Beeks Elementary School, Kipps Elementary School and Christiansburg Elementary School.

H1N1 flu vaccine clinics at Montgomery County's schools are on hold until the local health department can obtain more of the vaccine.

Interim Superintendent Walt Shannon said Monday that only three schools -- Margaret Beeks Elementary, Kipps Elementary and Christiansburg Elementary -- were able to give out the vaccine last week to students who got their parents' approval.

The school system signed an agreement for vaccinations with the Montgomery County Health Department. The original plan was to have clinics at all schools within 10 days, but the health department did not have enough vaccine, Shannon said.

He could not say what school would be next to host a clinic.

On Oct. 12, school administrators sent parent consent forms home with students. Shannon said that was the fastest method to distribute them. Forms were due back to the schools Oct. 19.

Some parents have complained that they didn't receive the permission slips.

Shannon said the school system has no plans to send out additional forms to parents.

Shannon said he urges parents who don't want to wait for more vaccines to become available to the schools, or who did not get their consent form in on time, to seek out the vaccine from other sources.

Radford's schools had also planned two days of clinics for students and staff on Thursday and Friday, but neither is a school day. Students are off Thursday for parent-teacher conferences and Friday for a staff development day.

Superintendent Chuck Bishop said Monday it appeared those clinics would need to be postponed.

Essays on American values are due Dec. 1

High school students and their teachers have a month to enter the Bill of Rights Institute's essay contest. Deadline is Dec. 1 and winners take home up to $5,000.

This year's topic is: "What civic value do you believe is most essential to being an American?"

Top prize winners will be named at banquet in Washington, D.C., in the spring.

First-place winners in each region and their sponsoring teachers will each receive $5,000 cash awards; second-place winners, $2,500; and third-place winners, $1,250. Honorable mention prizes of $250 will be awarded to seven students and teachers from each contest region.

Nearly 50,000 students have participated in the contest since its inception.