Nurse

A new emergency Card is required each year. It is extremely important that this information is completed as soon as possible. Without updated emergency information, it becomes very difficult to reach you if your child is ill or injured. Information can be updated at any time via the Parent Portal.

There are times when your child may become ill or injured at school and will need to come to the clinic for assessment or treatment. Minor aches and pains can be dealt with in the classroom. Following district guidelines, parents will be asked to take a student home if they have a temperature of 100°F or above, an undiagnosed rash, or an undiagnosed red eye. A student will be sent home in the absence of a fever with symptoms of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, some sore throats, coughing, etc.

During the year, your child may need medication for an illness, injury, or pain. Only medication that cannot be taken at home should be sent to school. Prescription medication to be administered three (3) times a day can usually be taken before and after school and at bedtime. Ask your doctor if this is acceptable.

All medications — prescription and over-the-counter — must be administered in the clinic. This includes cough drops and medicated creams or ointments. Students are not allowed to administer their own medications. Please do not put medicine in your child’s lunch box or sack.

All medications must be brought to the clinic by an adult, and a Medical Request form must be completed. Medications must be in the original container, box, or bottle; or in a properly labeled prescription bottle. Medications will not be given if brought to school in a baggy, aluminum foil, or envelope. Please bring only the medication needed at school — not the entire prescription. Pharmacies can provide an extra bottle with the prescription label if requested.

Please make your child aware that they need to come to the clinic for their medication at the specified time. Because our children are young, I will make every effort to call them from class, or remind them to come take their medication, but they do need to be aware that they have a responsibility to remember.

The clinic does not provide medications. However, if your child has frequent headaches or will be having orthodontia work done, you may bring pain medication (follow the above guidelines) to leave at the clinic. Your child will only use that medication.

Many parents are unsure when to keep a child at home with an illness. Please keep your child home if they have any of the following symptoms:

1. A temperature of 100°F or more in the last 24 hours. To avoid the spread of infection, keep your child home until they have been fever-free (without the use of a fever reducer such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen) for 24 hours.
    
2. Diarrhea or vomiting in the last 24 hours. Keep your child home until they are symptom-free for 24 hours.
    
3. If your child wakes up with one or both eyes that are red or pink, oozing green or yellow fluid, or having matter stuck to the eyelids, please keep your child home and call your doctor. Your child may have pink eye (conjunctivitis), which is extremely contagious. Keep your child home until they have had 24 hours of prescription eye drops.
    
4. If your child has a moist cough that is difficult to control with over-the-counter medications or is coughing up green or yellow sputum, please keep your child home and check with your doctor.