Certified School Nurse (x242)
Availability at Saint Mary: Thursdays

The following information is based upon guidelines from the Perkiomen Valley School District Health Services Department.

Health Tips for a Healthy School Year

• Get 8 hours of sleep at night

• Eat breakfast before school

• Wear clothes appropriate for the weather

• Eat a good lunch

• Wash hands before eating, after using the bathroom, after coughing or blowing nose

• Wash minor injuries with soap and water

• Exercise a little each day

• Relax & have fun

• Don’t forget to study!

“Health is at the Heart of Education”  ~ Mark Twain

Role of the School Nurse

• Assess and evaluate overall student health

• Assist in identification and education of students with special health problems and needs

• Coordinate health services with health education and community agencies

• Assess, triage, and care of sick and injured students and staff during the school day. District nurses are not responsible for injuries or illnesses which occur outside of school.

• Observe school facilities and recommend modifications to maintain optimum health and safety of students and staff

• Administer medications

• Perform PA School Code 28-Health and Safety- screenings

  • Annual vision and growth screening for all students

  • Hearing screening in grades K,1,2,3,7 and 11

• Monitor immunization compliance

• Provide education on a variety of health topics to students, families, and staff

Emergency and Health Forms
Forms will be sent home with each student the first day of school. They provide the school nurse with important information relevant to your child in the event emergency care needs to be administered. Each student is required
to have a form on file.

If you change your address or phone # please send the information to the nurse and office as soon as possible. If you’d like a new emergency card, one can be provided.

Physical Examination 2018 Form*
A Medical Examination* is required of every child upon original entry into school (K or 1st grade), in 6th and 11th grades.

Dental Examination Form*
A Dental Examination* is required of every child upon original entry into school (K or 1st grade), in 3rd and 7th grades.
* The school physician and dentist will provide this service upon written request and if a private form is not returned.

Immunization Requirements 2019 Form*
Immunizations are required prior to entrance into school. Records should be provided at the time of registration. If you have any questions or concerns regarding immunization, please contact me. If your child gets any shots/immunizations at the doctors, please ask for an updated copy of his/her immunization records and send it into school for me to keep with his/her health record. Click Immunization Requirements for more information about which vaccines your kids need to attend grade schools in Pennsylvania (as specified by the PA Department of Health)

Additional Forms:
Administration of Medication
Asthma Action Plan
Food Allergy Action Plan
Head Lice (Pediculosis)
Immunization Requirements 2017
Kindergarten Registration Packet
Physical Examination Form 2018
Tuberculosis Screening Questionaire
Please see the guidelines and recommendations (Protocol) below. The nurse or the office needs to be notified of any occurrences prior to the student returning to school.
PVSD Head Lice (Pediculosis) Protocol
Pediculosis Fact Sheet
Tips for Treating Pediculosis
More tips for Treating Pediculosis

HEALTH GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES
Guidelines for Student Absences

• A parent/guardian must notify the school each day the student is absent. Upon return, a written excuse note is required

• Please call the school nurse if a student will be absent for more than 3 school days with an illness or injury

• Appointments (doctor, dentist, etc.) should be scheduled before or after the school day whenever possible so that your student will have every opportunity to learn at school

• Students should NOT be sent to school with these health problems/issues:

  • Fever, vomiting or diarrhea (students must be symptom-free for 24 hours for all three)

  • Pink Eye: red, itchy eyelids and green or yellow discharge but NO allergy symptoms

  • Head Lice: active infestations of lice or nits (see below for more info)

  • Any undiagnosed rash (i.e. chickenpox)

  • A severe sore throat, excessive cough or a cough that produces phlegm, severe headache, earache, or stomachache or ANY other illness when the child is not able to eat/drink/sleep or otherwise function normally without pain/discomfort

  • Injuries or surgical procedures that require narcotic medication to relieve pain

  • Student requires medication(s) several times throughout the school day

* Call a physician if there is a question whether a student needs medical attention or may attend school with an illness or injury.

Medication Procedure/Guidelines
The major responsibility for specific medications belongs to the student’s parents. On occasion, a child requires a specific medication during the school day. In order to provide proper care to your child and protection for all school children, the following method of administering medication in school shall be followed:

• The administering of medication can be by or under the supervision of the school nurse; or by an administrator of the school district.

• The medication must be brought to school by the parent/guardian in a container clearly labeled with:

  • Child’s Name

  • Name of Medication

  • Amount of dosage

  • Time to be given

• No medication, including over-the-counter medications, will be administered without prior written permission of both the student’s physician and parent. The permission slip to administer medication must be filled out, signed by both the physician and the parent, and sent with the medication. Permission slips must be completed each year.

• All medications are to be kept in the health room, unless otherwise designated by the school nurse. No medication should be in the student’s pocket, lunch, pocketbook or backpack/schoolbag.

• If a child requires medicines two or three times a day, it is suggested your child receive it at home before school in the morning and when your child returns home at the end of the school day.

• When a student requires medication(s) several times during the school day, he/she is too ill to be in school.

* A parent may come to school to at any time to administer medication to his/her child. Special Health Care Needs

Please contact the nurse if you need to meet or talk about your child’s specific health care concerns. Forms for food allergies and asthmatics are available for downloading. Students are not allowed to carry medication in their backpacks or self-administer medication. The only exception is older students (grades 6-8) whose doctor, parent, and the school nurse have completed a self-carry form for an EPI Pen and/or an Inhaler. Self-carry forms are available from the nurse upon request.

Head Lice (Pediculosis) Protocol
See additional information below. The nurse or the office needs to be notified of any occurrences prior to the student returning to school.

• PVSD Pediculosis Fact Sheet

• Tips for Treating Pediculosis

• More tips for Treating Pediculosis

First Aid/Nursing Care

• Nursing care is available for emergency first aid and illnesses occurring during the school day

• A student will be sent home if temperature is 100 degrees F. or above and/or at the discretion of the school nurse based on their nursing assessment of the child

• Excusal from Physical Education: Students who, for medical reasons, need to be excused from phys ed, must provide a note from the parent/guardian stating the reason. A Doctor’s note is required for the exclusion of more than one class. A Doctors note is also required upon return to physical education after a lengthy illness or injury

• Excusal from Recess: ALL students are required to participate in recess when held