Health and Safety Guidelines
Health and Safety:
Good health is essential to learning. The school district is interested in the health and safety of all students. A registered nurse is in each school building on a regular schedule, though not at all times, and is available for emergencies.
School health services are meant to augment, not replace, annual health care supervision by your child's primary health care provider. Therefore, the district requests that students entering kindergarten, fourth, seventh, and tenth grades have a physical examination. A special form is available from your school, the Administration Building, and at most local doctors' offices. The examination should be performed by the student's family physician and at no cost to the school district.
Health Screening Procedures:
In accordance with state guidelines, students are screened at selected grade levels and by teacher referral for vision and hearing. Appropriate referrals are then made to the parent/guardian. Once a referral has been made, it is necessary that the school nurse obtain a response from the parent or physician. Additional screenings include blood pressure, height and weight, and communicable diseases/conditions on an as needed basis.
Medications at School:
If at all possible, medications should be given at home. Parents are encouraged to work with their child's health care provider to find a schedule for medications outside the school day. Students requiring medication while at school must have a written authorization from a parent and a physician in most cases. Some over-the-counter medications require only a parent's written permission (check with the school for details). Reference: District Policy JLCD.
Only the amount of medication required to be taken at school for the duration of an illness should be sent to school. Medications are kept in the school health office and administered by school personnel. All medication should be sent in proper containers with doctor's/pharmacy label stating the medication name, dosage, time of day, and name of physician and student.
Exclusion from School:
In accordance with state guidelines, children are excluded from school if they have an elevated temperature, vomiting, diarrhea, or known or suspected communicable disease/condition. A child who has a fever should not return to school until his/her temperature has been normal (approximately 98.6 orally) for 24 hours. A child who has had vomiting should be kept home until it has been 24 hours since the last episode of vomiting.
A student shall bring a written note from home after being absent (unless a call was made to the school) to explain the reason for the absence. In the event of being absent for a contagious disease, it is advisable to check with the school nurse before returning to school. The most frequently asked questions concern chickenpox and streptococcal infections. A child having chickenpox may return to school once all blisters have crusted over and the temperature has been normal for 24 hours. In the case of strep infection, a child may not return to school until he/she has received antibiotics for at least 24 hours.
Special Health Needs:
If your child has special health care needs, requires medication or medical treatments during the school day, requires changes to the regular school program or scheduled monitoring, or has a chronic health care condition, please contact the school nurse so that we can prepare for the student's entry into school. Some situations require the development of a health care plan and the training of staff to assist your child, prior to the first day of attendance. It is extremely important that parents notify the school nurse of their child's health problems or of any procedure that they wish the nurse to employ when dealing with these problems in the school environment.
Health questionnaires are provided to parents/guardians on the yearly basis and requested even if your child does not have a health concern, as this assists us in keeping our records up to date.
A note from a doctor is required if a student needs to be excused from physical education (PE) for any reason or has limitations for physical activities on an ongoing basis (generally greater than five days).
Emergencies at School:
It is necessary that the school have at least one current emergency telephone number to contact a parent or responsible party.
In accordance with state guidelines, schools may only provide first aide treatment for students in the school setting. Schools are not equipped to provide advanced emergency care. For this reason, a child needing urgent medical attention will be seen by local emergency medical services (ambulance personnel) and transported to a local emergency facility if needed. Every attempt will be made to contact the parent in such cases as well as in less serious cases. If such contact cannot be made, the supervising staff member, the health aide, or the school nurse shall exercise reasonable judgment in acting to address your child's health and safety needs. If the parent cannot provide transportation to seek medical treatment when it is needed or is unable to pick the child up from school when indicated, an ambulance may be called.
School personnel cannot legally permit a child under the age of 12 to go home unattended and/or to an empty house. No sick child will be sent home without the knowledge of the parent, guardian, or other responsible person. (Also, see information in emergency school closing).
