Nurse

How Our School Nurse Helps

• Delivers direct care to students for injuries and acute illness for all students and long-term management of students with special health care needs.

• Provides assessment and treatment within the scope of professional nursing practice, communicate with parents, refer to physicians, and supervise prescribed nursing care.

• Develops individual health care plans for students with chronic conditions, and when appropriate, an emergency plan is developed to manage potential emergent events in the school setting (i.e. diabetes, asthma).  Ideally, this health plan is aligned with the management plan directed by the child’s doctor and regularly updated through close communication.  The school nurse if responsible for management of this plan and communication about the plan to all appropriate school personnel.

• Promotes a health school environment by monitoring immunizations, ensures appropriate exclusion for infectious illnesses, and report communicable diseases as required by law.

Parents may partner with the school nurse in the care of your child by informing us if they have:

• Any chronic or acute illnesses

• A new medication or change in medication dosage

• Been exposed to a communicable disease such as strep throat, chickenpox, conjunctivitis, influenza

• A life-threatening or new allergy

• A serious injury requiring hospitalization or a diagnosed head concussion

• An injury requiring casting, a splint, or mobility assistance of crutches or wheelchair

• Vision or hearing difficulties

The school nurse will work with you, your child’s physician and other school personnel to meet special health needs in school so that your child may benefit from an educational program.  You must prove a note from the doctor for activity restriction due to an injury or illness.

Please help the school nurse by:

• Updating phone numbers and email addresses so she can always reach you

• Sharing if there is an event at home or in the family that may impact your child at school, such as military deployment, business trips, birth, or death of a family member, or of a beloved pet.

Please keep your child home when the following symptoms are present:

• Temperature of 99.8 degrees or greater within the past 24 hours

• Vomiting or diarrhea occurring within the past 24 hours

• Strep infections of any kind, untreated ringworm, conjunctivitis, or impetigo.  These are all contagious infections and must be treated with medication for at least 24 hours before returning to school

• Diagnosis or symptoms of influenza.  This is a very contagious virus and students must remain home for at least 7 consecutive days.

• Rash of unknown origin – this may indicate many different things and should be checked by your child’s doctor.

• Head lice – students must be treated before returning to school.  A head check by the school nurse the following morning is required before proceeding to class.

Health Information

Health information must be completed annually upon online enrollment/re-enrollment.  Please ensure that all the information you provide is complete and updated.  Please be as specific as possible.

Prior to the beginning of the school year, an immunization record is required for all new students, all incoming kindergarten students, and students who had a change to their immunization record.  Please ensure that this form is signed by you otherwise it will not be considered valid.  Immunization records can be obtained from your child’s doctor or previous school.

Health Forms:

Certificate of Immunization Status (CIS) – must be signed by a parent in order to be valid

Certificate of Exemption (COE) – must be signed by a doctor in order to be valid; must be accompanied by CIS form

Medical Action Plan – required if your child has a medical condition that might need medical intervention by school staff during the school day (i.e. allergies, asthma, seizure, diabetes). 

Authorization for Administration of Medication at School – must be completed and accompany all prescription medications administered to students.  Please note that this form requires a doctor’s signature as well as a parent/guardian signature.  Prescription medications need to be handed to the school nurse by a parent/guardian. 

Parent Authorization for Over-the-Counter Medication – must be completed and accompany all over-the-counter medications.  This form only requires a parent/guardian signature.

To access these forms, go to Forms and Documents and scroll down to Health Forms.