PARENTS’ HEALTHROOM INFORMATION

Dear Parents:

We are happy that school is back in session and to have your son or daughter here with us! We want to keep everyone as healthy as possible this year.

The following is a guideline to help you understand the school district’s policies in the event that your child becomes ill.

COMPLAINTS or CONDITIONS that require sending a student home from school:

ILLNESSES:
- Fever over 100 degrees: Students must be fever free for 24 hours PRIOR to returning them to school. Please do not give a child medication to mask a fever with the intent of simply letting them return to school!
- Too ill: Any student too ill or uncomfortable to participate in learning activities.
- Signs of heat illness
- Vomiting (not spitting up): If your child vomits just prior to coming to school, please do not send him/her to school to “have the nurse check them if they get sick again.”
- Diarrhea: If your child has persistent diarrhea (more than 2 times) while at school, you will be contacted to pick him/her up.
- Asthma attack that does not respond to usual treatments, or a persistent coughing that is interfering/disruptive w/ class

CONTAGIOUS CONDITIONS:
-LICE with signs of active infestation (not treated in the last week)
-RINGWORM or IMPETIGO if sores cannot be covered or if have multiple lesions, especially around the lips/ eyes
-RASH (contagious) or unexplainable: These typically require a doctor’s visit and a return to school slip.
-ITCHING uncontrolled & persistent that interferes w/ class.
-PINK or RED EYE with mucous drainage, pain, light sensitivity or change in vision: this can be VERY contagious & must have evaluation by a physician with a return to school slip.
-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES

INJURIES:
-BLEEDING that will not stop, large wounds
-PURULENT (infected) DRAINAGE that cannot be safely managed w/ bandages
-WOUNDS with red, hot, swollen areas or streaks
-PAIN persistent, unexplained, severe
-DENTAL injuries causing broken, damaged, loose or dislodged teeth

Teachers (and students) should not call you from their classroom to advise of an illness, as this may create confusion. If a child becomes ill, they need to alert their teacher. The teacher will send him/her to the clinic. Once the nurse has evaluated the student, it is the nurse’s responsibility to call the parent to discuss the illness and/or need to have the child picked up.

We realize that it is increasingly difficult to send ill students home, often due to parents’ concerns about their own absences from work or difficulties with transportation, etc. If a student is deemed by the nurse to be ill enough to send home, it is critical for the school to have ONE valid telephone number to reach a parent or another designated, responsible adult who can pick up your child as soon as possible. It is also important to keep that telephone contact number CURRENT!

Children who may be contagious (i.e., have a fever, are vomiting, etc.) need to be picked up immediately. The nurse cannot keep ill children in the clinic for an indefinite period of time.

MEDICATIONS:
In elementary school, all student medications must be kept in the clinic at all times, regardless of whether they are prescription or over the counter brands.

If your child needs to periodically receive a medication during school hours, the medication must be in the original container with appropriate manufacturer’s or prescription labeling. The nurse must have a written note signed by the parent/legal guardian. These notes are only valid for dispensing such medications for 5 (five) days.

If your child needs to ROUTINELY receive a medication during school hours, the nurse must have a written order, signed by both the parent/legal guardian and the child’s treating physician. These orders will remain valid only for the current school year and do not carry over to the next year.

Any time a student needs to bring medications from home, please have a parent bring the medication and any written permission to the nurse.

Please remember that for each day your child is absent from school, the attendance clerk must be contacted by you. If your child is ill from school for more than 3 consecutive days, a doctor’s return to school slip is necessary.

Rhonda Cole, R.N.
School Nurse
coler@lisd.net
P: 469-713-5180
F: 972-350-9089