School Nurse-Mrs. Larkin

 WHEN TO KEEP YOUR CHILD HOME

Deciding when a child is too sick to attend school can be difficult. Many parents/guardians have questions regarding when to send their child to school. Please know that while it is very important that your child attends school on a daily basis, good health is more important than a perfect attendance record.  

In order for your child to feel well enough to learn, and to control the spread of communicable diseases in school, please refer to the following guidelines when you consider whether or not your child should attend school on a particular day.

It is generally acceptable to send your child to school:  

Mild cold symptoms---feels well, no fever, occasional cough, some nasal congestion 

Stomach ache---mild, no fever, no vomiting, ate some breakfast 

Eyes---itch, no redness, no drainage 

Vague complaints of aches, pains, or fatigue---no fever 

Sore throat---no fever, mild 

Cough---occasional, non productive 

Skin rash---known cause, being treated 

 Please keep your child home for the following: 

Fever above 100 degrees---your child should be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school 

Sore throat---moderate to severe, fever (please contact your physician) 

Rash/spots---fever, unknown cause (please contact your physician) 

Cough/cold---fever, frequent cough, severe nasal congestion 

Eye inflammation/drainage/discharge---contact your physician if your child’s eye is red, cloudy, has drainage, eyelids matted after sleep (if medication is prescribed, must be given for 24 hours before returning to school) 

Vomiting and/or diarrhea---may return 24 hours after the last episode 

Ear pain---consult with your physician 

Acute pain---requiring narcotic pain relief (ex. Codeine after a tooth extraction) 

         Head lice (pediculosis)---Child must be treated with head lice shampoo, all nits removed, 
         and checked by the nurse before returning to school

Please contact your child’s school if the decision is made to keep your child home. If you have any question, Mrs. Larkin can be reached at Wawaloam, 295-8802.

HEALTH SCREENINGS

Required by state law. Vision, hearing and dental screenings are performed in accordance with the Department of Health Regulations for School Health to determine if a problem or concern may exist. If there is a concern during a screening, your child will be re-screened on a different day. If there may be a potential problem or concern after the second screening, you will be notified by letter.

VISION SCREENING

All children have a vision screening annually in October. If the child fails twice, a form letter is sent home via the child, informing the parent of the results. If your child should bring home such a letter, please follow up with an eye doctor and return the form to the school nurse.

HEARING SCREENING

Children in Grades Pre-School , K, 1, and 3, as well will have a hearing screening done at school, according to the Rhode Island State law. If your child fails the screening, a form letter is sent home via the child, informing the parent of the results. If your child should bring home such a letter, please have him/her examined by your own doctor or an audiologist. The Rhode Island State Hearing Center at the Rhode Island School for the Deaf will do the screening at no cost. The completed form should be returned to the school nurse, so the results can be recorded in the child's health records.

DENTAL SCREENING

A dental examination is required every year at, preferably by your family dentist. Yellow dental cards are provided for all students. All students currently enrolled in school receive a card in June for the following year. The only way the school nurse knows that the child has been examined by a dentist is if the parent returns the completed dental card. If a card is not received, the child will be examined by the school dentist. If a parent is not sure whether or not the school nurse has received a copy of this card, please contact the nurse at the school.

ILLNESS

A child's ability to learn, perform and behave can depend on how a child feels physically. We ask that sick children remain at home if their illness is, or may be, contagious and could cause illness in other children. We ask your cooperation by calling the school and informing us as soon as possible so we can detect similar illnesses in others sooner.

If your child becomes ill at school, you will be called to pick him/her up. If your child has special medical or health problems, please inform the school nurse.

HEAD LICE POLICY

Anyone can contact head lice. Having head lice does not indicate poor hygiene. Head lice do not cause disease, but are a time-consuming nuisance. If the school nurse finds evidence of head lice, the child will be sent home for the parent to administer treatment. (Family doctors, the school nurse and pharmacists can provide treatment advice.) Upon completion of this treatment and before the child is allowed back in school, he/she must be re-examined by the school nurse. School policies indicate that all nits (eggs) must be removed before returning to school. This is a time-consuming but necessary task that helps ensure that the head lice do not spread to others. Please call the school nurse if you suspect head lice, so that other children in the classroom can be checked.

SPECIAL HEALTH CONCERNS

If your child has a specific health concern, please notify the nurse (asthma, severe allergy, diabetes, etc.) so that appropriate measure/planning can take place specific to your child.

EMERGENCY CARDS

It is very important that you complete your child's yellow Emergency Card. Please keep the information on the card current so that the school staff can easily contact the appropriate authorized person if your child becomes ill or is hurt while in school. For the safety of all children, the child will be released only to those people listed on the emergency card.

RECESS

Unless it is raining or below 20º, your child will spend some time outside every day at recess. Depending upon the season, hats, gloves, sweaters, coats, etc. may be needed, especially for early morning recess before the start of school. Please mark your child's belongings with his/her name