Nurses Office

Interval Health History Form for Athletics

Concussion Guide

Sideline Concussion Checklist Form for Coaches

Conjunctivitis
From: Robert J. Ostrander M.D.
School Physician

Quarantine Questions (CDC, Ontario County Public Health)

When you may have a respiratory virus...‎

Stay home and away from others (including people you live with who are not sick) if you have respiratory virus symptoms that aren't better explained by another cause. These symptoms can include fever, chills, fatigue, cough, runny nose, and headache, among others.*

What to know

• Taking steps to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses when you are sick is a core prevention strategy to lower risk from respiratory viruses.
• Core prevention strategies are important steps you can take to protect yourself and others from respiratory viruses.
• You can go back to your normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, both are true:
  • Your symptoms are getting better overall, and
  • You have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication).
• When you go back to your normal activities, take added precaution over the next 5 days, such as taking additional steps for cleaner air, hygiene, masks, physical distancing, and/or testing when you will be around other people indoors.
  • Keep in mind that you may still be able to spread the virus that made you sick, even if you are feeling better. You are likely to be less contagious at this time, depending on factors like how long you were sick or how sick you were.
  • If you develop a fever or you start to feel worse after you have gone back to normal activities, stay home and away from others again until, for at least 24 hours, both are true: your symptoms are improving overall, and you have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication). Then take added precaution for the next 5 days.

New York State has recommended that students new to our district, entering grades Pre K, K, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 & 11th grade provide the school nurse with a copy of a dental certificate (form posted below) filled out by their dentist with in the last 12 months.

Dental Certificate

General Information

Questions/Answers

Is seasonal flu more serious for kids?

Flu vaccine may save
your child’s life. 

Flu shot or nasal spray
vaccine?

• Flu shots can be given to children 6 months and older.
• A nasal-spray vaccine can be given to healthy children 2 years and older.
• Children younger than 5 years who have experienced wheezing in the past year --- or any child with chronic health problems --- should get the flu shot, not the nasal-spray vaccine.
• Children younger than 9 years old who get a vaccine for the first time need two doses.

How else can I protect my child?

• Get the seasonal flu vaccine for yourself.
• Encourage your child’s close contacts to get seasonal flu vaccine, too. This is very important if your child is younger than 5 or if he or she has a chronic health problem such as asthma (breathing disease) or diabetes (high blood sugar levels).
• Wash your hands often and cover your coughs and sneezes. This will prevent the spread of germs.
• Tell your children to:
  • Stay away from people who are sick;
  • Clean their hands often;
  • Keep their hands away from their face, and
  • Cover coughs and sneezes to protect others. It’s best to use a tissue and quickly throw it away. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands.

What are signs of the flu?

Seasonal Flu Guide for Parents

How long can a sick person spread the flu to others?

What should I use to clean hands?

What can I do if my
child gets sick?

Can my child go to school/day care with the flu?

For more information about the flu, visit:

https://www.nasn.org/nasn-resources/professional-practice-documents/position-statements/ps-head-lice

NASN POSITION It is the position of the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) that the management of head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) infestations in school settings should not disrupt the educational process, including but not limited to the elimination of classroom screening, forced absences from school for nits and/or live lice and broad notification that a case of head lice has been found. As the leader who bridges health care and education, the registered professional school nurse (hereinafter referred to as school nurse) advocates for evidence-based head lice management strategies that eliminate exclusionary practices and promote positive student outcomes, including reduced absenteeism.

Exclusion from school can adversely affect students emotionally, socially and academically (Devore et al., 2015; Pontius, 2014).

Both the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the CDC advocate for the following practices to be discontinued: • whole classroom screening, • exclusion for nits or live lice, • notification to others except for parents/guardians of students with head lice infestations 

Classroom screenings are often inaccurate, not cost-effective, and notification to others may be a breach of confidentiality (Pontius, 2014).

Schools should not exclude students for active infestation or when nits remain after appropriate lice treatment.

School nurses should advocate for evidence-based prevention measures that include assisting parents with identification of lice/nits and teaching students, parents, staff, and community effective prevention measures.

Both AAP and CDC assert that treatment should only be initiated when at least one live louse has been identified. It is likely that a child’s infestation has been present for 30 days or more prior to the identification of live lice, the affected child in school poses little risk of transmission to others and should remain in class.

FYI

Children with nits and live lice continue to be excluded from school by “no nit” and “no live lice” policies due to myths and misinformation.

Parent and school staff education and re-education on the topic is the best mechanism to dispel the myths around the transmission of lice (Pontius, 2014). According to the CDC (2015), “The burden of unnecessary absenteeism to the students, families and communities far outweighs the risks associated with head lice” (para. 6). Improved attendance for children who were formerly excluded along with the decrease in stigmatism of these children and families can positively impact student learning and the school environment. NASN recommends school nurses take an active role in the education of parents, students, providers, and school communities to promote proper evidence-based practices in the treatment and management of head lice. These actions include clarifying misinformation about how head lice are transmitted and advocating for a more supportive, less exclusionary approach to head lice management that does not disrupt the educational environment and promotes student attendance and academic success. REFERENCES: NASN

New York State School Boards Association

https://www.nyssba.org/news/2017/02/02/on-board-online-february-6-2017/head-lice-what-school-leaders-need-to-know/

Should children with head lice be prevented from attending school?

No, for three reasons. First, it is not uncommon for a child to be misdiagnosed as having lice. Dandruff and hair products are frequently misidentified as lice. Second, by the time a child is found to have a head lice infestation, peers have already been exposed; keeping the child home is pointless. Finally, there is no evidence that keeping a child with nits or lice out of school prevents other children from becoming infested.

What's wrong with having a "no nit" policy?

A "no nit" policy means that children are not allowed to return to school or the classroom until they have no remaining evidence of infestation, which isolates them and deprives them of learning opportunities. Although such policies are common, they have no basis in science or medicine and create many problems. First, such policies set parents on a quest to remove nits, and it's a fool's errand; nits are firmly cemented to the hair shaft and are not easily dislodged. Second, the mere presence of nits does not indicate active infestation; only nits that are located a half an inch or less from the scalp are likely to be viable. Third, there is no way to tell, using the naked eye, if a nit is viable or dead.

Should students be permitted to not wear helmets during sporting activities based on concerns about contracting head lice?

Absolutely not! Unlike a head lice infestation, a head injury or concussion presents a serious health risk and has the potential for far-reaching, long-term health implications. Wearing protective helmets or equipment during a sports activity should never be discouraged due to fear of head lice infestation.

New York State School Boards Association
24 Century Hill Drive, Suite 200
Latham, New York 12110-2125
518.783.0200 phone
518.783.0211 fax

 Immunization Regulations

When to Keep a Child Home With an Illness

It can be hard to know when to send children to school if they tell you that they do not feel well.  Usually, the best place for them is in school, but there are sometimes when keeping them home to rest or call for an appointment with your health care provider is recommended.

Please keep your child home and/or contact your child’s doctor for:

• Fever greater than 100.4° (taken by mouth)
• Vomiting and/or diarrhea within the last 24 hours
• Severe sore throat along with fever and feeling ill for more than 48 hours, or after exposure to Strep throat infection
• Honey-crusted sores around the nose or mouth or rash on other body parts
• Large amounts of mucous (liquid) from their nose, with face pain or headache
• Severe ear pain or fluid coming from the ear
• Severe headache, especially with fever

If your child has a fever, it is not a good idea to give them medicine like Tylenol or Advil and send them to school because as soon as the medicine wears off, the fever may return, and you will be called to come and pick up your child.

Please keep children home for 24 hours after the fever ends or they have completed 24 hours of medication if prescribed by your health care provider.

If you find your child is frequently asking to stay home from school, if they are falling behind or appear anxious about school, or if there does not appear to be any physical symptoms, contact your school nurse and your health care provider to discuss your concerns. 

Remind children to throw away used tissues, cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze, keep their hands away from their face, and to wash hands often with soap and warm water will help keep everyone healthier.

Please call us with any concerns or questions.

Medication Administration Form

Medication Administration Form During School Hours 

Standing Orders Medication Information and Release Form

Medical Release Form

General Information based on age: