Health & Nursing Services

When in doubt, keep them out!

The following guidelines are provided too help you determine when your child should stay home:

• Chicken Pox is a communicable disease that presents as a rash of small clear blisters that open, crust & then form scabs.  Your child can return to school when all blisters have formed scabs, usually 7 days after all pox have appeared.

• Common Cold/Flu frequently will present with debilitating symptoms like nasal discharge, cough, sneezing, bad headache nausea, vomiting and feeling tired.  If your child has a fever over 100 degrees, bad cough, difficulty breathing or becomes dehydrating he or she will need to be seen by your doctor as soon as possible.

• Conjunctivitis (Pinkeye) bacterial type with the following symptoms:  red sclera and conjunctiva, yellow crusted eyelids especially when waking up in the morning, burning and excessive itching and rubbing of the eyes.  Treatment will include eye drops prescribed by your doctor.  Can return to school 24 hours after treatment has been started.

• Coxsackievirus is a communicable disease usually presents with painful sores on the hands, feet and in the mouth.  Fever, nausea and vomiting can also occur.  Your child may return to school after medical clearance from your doctor.

• Diarrhea with multiple episodes of loose stools; may have a fever and abdominal cramping.  Your child may return to school when free of diarrhea and without fever for 24 hours.

• Fever over 100 degrees will need to be excluded from school.  Your child may return to school when fever has been gone for 24 hours.

• Mononucleosis, Epstiein Bar, Chronic Fatigue, Hepatitis are communicable disease includes many different symptoms similar to the flu.   Will require medical clearance including activity order before your child can return to school.

• Pediculosis (Head Lice) causes severe itching, rash and enlarged lymph nodes on the head and neck areas.  Head lice are very contagious and will require treatment with a product specifically made to kill lice.  Consult your school nurse, pharmacist or doctor to assist you with the best way to get rid of lice, prevent spread t and prevent re infestation.

• Sore Throat with pain and fever needs to be looked at by your doctor.  Your child may return to school when he/she is fever free for 24 hours.

• Strep Throat and Scarlet fever are very contagious bacterial infection.  Symptoms include red enlarged tonsils, with or without pus like exudates, fever, headache, nausea and vomiting.  Your child may return to school after 24-48 hours of antibiotic treatment and fever free.

Please be sure to notify the school if your child is absent.

Guidelines set by the State Department of Education

It is school policy not to allow children to have medications in the classroom.  If medications need to be administered during school time, the medication will be kept in the Health Office and dispensed by the school nurse at the designated time(s).  In addition:

1. The parent/guardian must provide a written request for the administration of medication.

2. We must also have an original written order from your doctor for any medications that must be taken at school, including over the counter medications.  This order must include:

• Diagnosis
• Name of Medication
• Dosage and time it is to be given
• Is child to receive medication on half days?
• May the medication be withheld for field trips?
• If medication is an inhaler or EpiPen, may the child carry it and self-administer?

Call the nurse to obtain a form for EpiPen use in school.

3. All medication must be in the original pharmacy container properly labeled for the student.  Ask your pharmacist for the medication to be divided into two bottles completely labeled:  one for home and one for school.  Do not send medication in baggies, tissues, envelopes, etc., as it is against the law to dispense unlabeled medications.

4. Students are not allowed to carry medications on the bus or into school.  An adult must drop off the medication in the Main Office or in the Health Office during school hours.

5. Over the counter drugs must also be prescribed by your health care provider.

1. The N.J. Department of Education now mandates that the Asthma Treatment Plan form be on file at school for all students who wish to use an inhaler at school regardless of diagnosis (i.e. asthma, reactive airway, etc.)
    

2. This form is available on the district health forms 

Prevention and  the spread of communicable diseases in school and in the community requires cooperation and partnership between home and school.  The first step in the control of communicable diseases is the knowledge of  when and where these diseases occur.  For a detailed list of diseases that are reportable to the school please refer to district policy.  Please notify the school when your child is absent.

The Over - The - Counter Medication form for 9th thru 12th grade only is for Advil, Tylenol, Tums with  written parent permission only.

A physician signature for these three medications is no longer required.

 All medications that the parent would like to be available for their child during the school day  must be initialed by parent and must have printed name and signature of parent on form  to be valid. 

No phone calls will be accepted as permission.

Please click on the link for the over-the-counter medication form and return to nurse's office.

ALL FORMS MUST BE HANDED INTO THE NURSE'S OFFICE  2 WEEKS BEFORE PHYSICAL DATE   

Medical examinations are required prior to participation on a intramural athletic team or squad.  The examination shall be conducted by your health care provider within 365 days of the start of the sport activity.  The NJ Dept. of Education Annual Pre-Participation Physical Exam Form Part A and Part B must be used.  Your child can obtain the form from our health office or you can download the form from our webpage under health forms. The school doctor will be available by appointment to do physicals for students who do not have a health care provider.

Sports Form Directions

1. Prior to participation on a school-sponsored interscholastic or intramural athletic team or squad for students enrolled in any grades six to 12;

i. The examination shall be conducted within 365 days prior to the first day of official practice in an athletic season and shall be conducted by a licensed physician, advanced practice nurse (APN), or physician assistant (PA).

ii. The physical examination shall be documented using the Preparticipation Physical Evaluation (PPE) form developed jointly by the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, 15 American College of Sports Medicine, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, and American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine and available at, http://www.state.nj.us/education/students/safety/health/records/athleticphysicalsform.pdf, in accordance with N.J.S.A. 18A:40-41.7.

(1) Prior to performing a preparticipation physical examination, the licensed physician, APN, or PA who performs the student-athlete's physical examination shall complete the Student-Athlete Cardiac Screening professional development module and shall sign the certification statement on the PPE form attesting to the completion, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:40-41d.

(A) If the PPE form is submitted without the signed certification statement and the school district has confirmed that the licensed physician, APN, or PA from the medical home did not complete the module, the student-athlete's parent may obtain a physical examination from a physician who can certify completion of the module or request that the school physician provides the examination.

(2) The medical report shall indicate if a student is allowed or not allowed to participate in the required sports categories and shall be completed and signed by the original examining physician, APN, or PA.

(3) An incomplete form shall be returned to the student's medical home for completion unless the school nurse can provide documentation to the school physician that the missing information 16 is available from screenings completed by the school nurse or physician within the prior 365 days.

iii. Each student whose medical examination was completed more than 90 days prior to the first day of official practice in an athletic season shall provide a health history update questionnaire completed and signed by the student's parent or guardian. The completed health history update questionnaire shall include information as required by N.J.S.A. 18A:40-41.7.b.

The school doctor must review and approve all physical forms prior to your child's participation in a sport activity.