KILOUGH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLINIC
TO BE SUCCESSFUL LEARNERS, CHILDREN MUST BE HEALTHY
MISSION STATEMENT
The Dawson County School nurses "strengthen and facilitate the educational process by improving and protecting the health status of children and staff by identifying and assisting in the removal or modification of health related barriers to the learning and teaching process for individual children."
-The National Association of School Nurses
SERVICES
- Provide health education for staff, students and parents.
- Evaluate minor episodic complaints and provide emergent care.
- Administration of prescription medications.
- Act as a liaison between home, school, health care provider and community resources.
- Assist with health screenings for vision, hearing, dental and scoliosis.
- Collaborate on referrals for other services.
- Home visits for assessment and education.
- Serve on community health advisory groups
STAFF
Teri Turner, R.N. - Kilough Elementary School Nurse;
Dawson Youth Health Services
Dear Parent or Guardian:
Optimal learning requires good health. The School Nurses are proud to be part of the team effort that supports student success. As we work with you this year, we need your assistance and cooperation in preparing for the possibility that your child might need to take medication, become ill, or have an accident during school hours. We hope this letter will help explain some of our procedures. School health services supplement rather than replace parental responsibility. Our program is designed to assist parents and guardians in devoting attention to child health, to discover health problems early, and to encourage use of the services of their physician, dentist, and community health agencies when needed.
The school nurse is a resource for health related issues and for health education. School nurses are also a liaison between education, health care agencies, and home.
SCHOOL MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION
If medications can be given at home before or after school hours, please do so. However, if medications must be given during school hours, the following procedures apply. This is only a summary of the complete Medication Administration Procedures. A parent or legal guardian must complete and sign a School Medication Authorization (form available in clinic) for all medications given at school. For prescription medications that are to be administered for more than 2 weeks, a medical doctor must also complete and sign the School Medication Authorization. A copy of this form is available in the clinic and most physician offices. A parent/legal guardian or other designated adult must bring all medication with the signed School Medication Authorization to the school clinic. At no time may medication be in the reach of children (with the exception of emergency medications such as inhalers, epi-pens, insulin and glucagon. Prescription medications must be clearly labeled with the physician’s name, name of medication, strength, dosage, date, time for administration, and dispensing pharmacy. When medication is to be given at home and at school, ask your pharmacist to fill the prescription in 2 labeled containers, one for home and one for school.
• All over-the-counter medications and prescription medications must be in the original containers and be FDA approved. If a child requires an over the counter medication, which is supplied on the attached form more than two times, the parent must furnish the medication. If a child requires an over the counter medication that is not listed on the standard school health permission form, the parent must furnish the medication with an individual parent permission for that medication.
• If your child has a life-threatening condition (i.e. asthma, diabetes, or allergic reaction), permission may be granted to carry medication (such as inhaler, glucose tablet, Epi-pen, or internal Insulin pump) on his or her person. Such permission will require a completed and signed School Medication Authorization from the child’s physician and parent/guardian. Students with asthma or severe allergic reactions are encouraged to keep a second inhaler or Epi-pen in the clinic for emergency use during school even if they do carry such emergency medication. Guidelines for administration of albuterol and/or epipen have been established for emergent episodes of anaphylaxis or asthma. This will help assure the ability of the staff to assist the student in the event the student does not have their medication on their person and is unable to instruct others where to find it. If a student has these conditions, a parent conference with the school nurses and other staff should be conducted to develop a Health Plan for the student.
• Unused or discontinued medication must be picked up by the parent from the school clinic prior to the end of the school year. All medication left at school more than one weekday following the last day of school will be disposed of.
STUDENT ILLNESS/INJURY
• Students with contagious infections need to stay home so they will not expose others. If your child is home with a communicable illness, please contact the school nurse so the parent(s) of other classmates may be alerted of symptoms.
• Children must be fever free, temperature below 100.4 degrees, for 24 hours without fever medication before returning to school.
• If you find head lice in your child’s hair, please notify the school nurse. The school nurse can advise you how to treat appropriately, how to manually remove nits, and treat your household before returning to school. Upon return to school, bring your child to the clinic first so the school nurse can help you be sure your child is free of nits before returning to class.
• A child with chicken pox may return to school when all of the lesions have scabbed (Usually 5-7 days).
• Impetigo, ringworm, shingles, & scabies must be under treatment to return to school. In some cases lesions may have to be covered.
• If your child has reoccurring vomiting and/or diarrhea, they must stay home.
• A child with bacterial Pink Eye (thick drainage and redness of the whites of the eyes throughout) may return to school after 24 hours of physician prescribed treatment.
Please contact your school nurse if you have any questions or concerns. By working together, we can strive to ensure the health and well being of your children so that they can gain the most from their experience at school. Complete Medication Administration Procedure Available for View upon Request.
Clinic Extensions: BMES -1217, RES- 1123, KES- 2253, DCMS- 1806, Riverview- 1305, HS- 1430
Parent/Guardian - Keep this page for your reference Rev. 4/09.
(Information below provided by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta)
In order to reduce the spread of viruses and contagious illnesses among our students, please consider and follow these recommendations:
1. If you are contacted by the school to pick up your sick child, please make every effort to do so promptly.
2. Please keep your contact phone numbers current in the front office, with your child’s teacher, and with the school nurse.
3. If your child is sent home with an illness that has been prevalent in the school, please allow him or her to remain at home until the illness has passed (example: if your child has been sent home for vomiting, do not allow him or her to come back to school until the vomiting has stopped and he or she is able to tolerate a soft diet, not just clear liquids).
We make every effort to promote hand-washing and good hygiene in the school to prevent the spread of illnesses. We appreciate your efforts and consideration to protect the health of your children and other children with whom they come in contact.
Is Your Child Too Sick for School?
Early in the morning, it is often difficult to make a decision about whether or not your child is sick enough to stay home from school. With minor symptoms, you often cannot tell whether he is going to get better or worse during the course of the day.
The main reasons for keeping your child home are:
– He’s too sick to be comfortable at school.
– He might spread a contagious disease to other children.
As a rule of thumb, a child should stay home if he has:
– A fever higher than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit
– Vomited more than once
– Diarrhea
– A very frequent cough
– Persistent pain (ear, stomach, etc.)
– A widespread rash
Most of these problems need to be discussed with your child’s
pediatrician to determine if an office visit is needed. (If your child
has frequent complaints of pain that cause school absence,
you should consider the possibility that your child is intentionally
avoiding school. Bring this to the attention of the child’s doctor
before a great deal of school has been missed.)
On the other hand, children who don’t have a fever and only have
a mild cough, runny nose or other cold symptoms can be sent to
school without any harm to themselves or others. The following
guidelines may help in your decision process:
A runny nose is the way many children respond to pollen, dust or
a cold virus. Minor cold or allergy symptoms should not be a reason
to miss school. Many healthy children have as many as six colds per
year, especially in the early school years.
Coughing, especially if it is persistent during the day, can
indicate a worsening of cold or allergy symptoms. It may be
a sign of a secondary infection (e.g., sinusitis, pneumonia),
which may require medical treatment. It may also indicate mild
asthma. If your child’s cough is worse than you might expect with
a common cold, you need to consult your child’s doctor. You
should do so immediately if the child is not acting normal, has a
fever or has any difficulty breathing.
Diarrhea and vomiting make children very uncomfortable. A
single episode of vomiting, without any other symptoms, may not
be reason enough for the child to miss school, but be sure the
school can reach you if symptoms occur again during the day. A
single episode of watery diarrhea probably warrants not going
to school. It could be very embarrassing and uncomfortable for
your child to have another episode while in school. If diarrhea or
vomiting are frequent or are accompanied by fever, rash or general
weakness, consult your child’s doctor and keep the child out of
school until the illness passes.
Fever (generally considered to be higher than 100.4 degrees
Fahrenheit) is an important symptom—especially when it occurs
along with a sore throat, nausea or a rash. Your child could have
a contagious illness, which could be passed to classmates and
teachers. While you can treat the fever, and usually make the
child feel better temporarily, the cause of the fever (and the risk of
passing it to others) is still there. Children with fever should stay
home until there is no fever for 24 hours.
Strep throat and scarlet fever are two highly contagious
conditions caused by the same bacterial infection. They usually
arrive with a sudden complaint of sore throat and fever and often
stomachache and headache. With scarlet fever, a rash usually
appears within 12 to 48 hours. A child with these symptoms
should see his doctor for diagnosis and treatment and should
remain out of school until he is without fever and has been on
antibiotics for 24 hours.
This general healthcare information should not be used as a substitute or in place of contacting your child’s healthcare provider. If you need further assistance, call 404-250-KIDS to speak to a pediatric nurse. For more information, visit www.choa.org and click on Patient Resources, then select Online Medical Information.
Pinkeye, or conjunctivitis, can be caused by a virus, bacteria
or allergy. The first two are very contagious. The eye will be
reddened, and a cloudy or yellow discharge is usually present. The
eye may be sensitive to light. Consult with your child’s doctor to see
if antibiotic eye drops are needed. Again, your child should stay
home until symptoms subside and he has been on antibiotic eye
drops at least 24 hours or until the doctor recommends your child
return to school.
Middle ear infections can cause great discomfort and often
fever, but are not contagious to others. Your child should see his
doctor for diagnosis and treatment and should stay at home if he
has fever or pain.
Flu is a contagious virus that usually occurs in the winter months.
Symptoms include body aches, high fever, chills, congestion, sore
throat and, in some children, vomiting. Your child should stay home
until these symptoms improve, usually five to seven days. Consult
your child’s doctor for treatment suggestions to make your child
more comfortable.
Impetigo is a staph or strep infection that creates a red, oozing
blister-like area that can appear anywhere on the body or face. A
honey-colored crust may appear on the area. It can be passed to
others by direct contact. Consult your child’s doctor for treatment
and length of time your child should remain out of school,
especially if the area cannot be covered.
Chickenpox is a highly contagious viral illness. It causes fever and
an itchy rash, which spreads quickly all over the body, changing
from red bumps to blister-like lesions, then scabs. Your child needs
to stay home until all bumps are scabbed and no new bumps have
appeared for two days. Your child is contagious at least two days
before the rash starts, so you need to let the school and playmates
know, and consult your child’s doctor for treatment of symptoms. A
vaccine is available for children who have not yet had chickenpox
and is required for kindergarten. The vaccine will also be required
for all new sixth graders who have not yet had chickenpox.
Scabies and lice brought into a school can quickly produce an
epidemic of itching and scratching. Scabies are tiny insects that
burrow into the skin and cause severe itching. Lice are tiny wingless
insects, like ticks, that thrive on the warm scalps of children and
cause itching. Both should be treated immediately, with advice
from your child’s doctor. Children need to stay home from school
until head lice are dead and until nits or eggs are removed with a
special fine comb. Head checks should continue for 10 to 14 days.
Caution your child against sharing combs, brushes, hats or other
clothing. In the case of scabies, children should stay home for 24
hours after treatment.
All of these illnesses can be spread easily, both in school and in the
family. Keep in mind that hand washing is the single most-important
thing you can do and teach your child to do to help prevent the
spread of infections.
Whenever there is a doubt in your mind about sending your child
to school, consult your child’s doctor before doing so. A phone
consultation may be all that is necessary, or your child’s doctor may
need to see the child in the office. You may also call the Children’s
Healthcare of Atlanta 24-hour nurse advice line at 404-250-KIDS
for advice when your child’s doctor’s office is not open.
Make sure that your child’s school knows how to reach
you during the day, and that there is a back-up plan and
phone number on file if the school cannot reach you.