School Nurses

Each school has a school nurse assigned to the campus.  The school nurse operates the school’s health room.  The nurse administers minor first aid for illnesses and injuries occurring at school and maintains a record on each child.  However, students should be kept at home when they are sick, have a fever, or have undiagnosed rashes.  A child should be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school. 

Other duties of the school nurse are as follows:

• identify health problems that interfere with learning and assist families and schools to resolve them; 
• work with students who have chronic illnesses to help them benefit from their education;
• monitor the administration of medications;
• assist with checking permanent records for complete medical records;
• conduct health-related screenings as needed; and
• provide health promotion activities as needed.
  

Health Room

Any student who becomes ill at school should request a pass from a teacher before reporting to the school nurse.  If an extreme emergency exists, however, the student should report directly to the nurse.  The nurse will contact a parent if the student needs to leave school.  If parents are unavailable and the illness or injury is such that immediate care is required, the school will arrange for the student to be taken to the doctor or to a hospital for treatment.  This action will not obligate the personnel of the school to assume financial responsibility for treatment.  Optional student accident insurance is made available at the beginning of each year. 

Under NO circumstances may an ill student remain in the restroom.

Medication at School

Aspirin and other oral medication CANNOT, by state law, be given to students without parent permission.  The principal or his designee(s) may administer prescription medication only by parental request.

Medications are not supplied by the school or by the school nurse.  All medication must be sent to the school in its original container.  Students are not to keep ANY medication--including aspirin, vitamins, or any other over-the-counter medicines--with them during the school day unless the student has an approved Permission of Medication--Self-Administration Outside of School Hours on School Grounds or at School Activities.

Immunization Requirements

According to Colorado state law, every student must present a valid Coloraod Certificate of Immunization showing the minimum immunization requirements at the time of school entrance.  If the student is entering from another South Carolina school, he/she must submit an immunization record at registration.  Students from out-of-state have thirty (30) days to comply.  Failure to comply will result in disenrollment.

First Aid

Students who need first aid treatment in physical education (PE) should report to the instructor.  Students injured at a time other than PE should report to the school nurse.

Screenings

School nurses conduct state-mandated screenings as follows:

• During the month of October, students in Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 3, and Grade 5 are screened for vision and hearing.  Students in Grade 7 are screened for vision.  Students in Grade 11 are screened for vision, hearing, blood pressure, and Body Mass Index (BMI).
• During the month of February, dental screenings are performed on all first graders.  Students in Grade 8 are screened for Body Mass Index (BMI). 
• In March, students in Grades 6 and 8 are screened for scoliosis.

Allergies 

If a child has severe food or other allergies, parents should notify in writing the school nurse and the child’s teachers.  Written procedures for the school to follow in an emergency should be given along with a list of foods or items that the child needs to avoid.