Health Room Information

***IMPORTANT IMMUNIZATION ANNOUNCEMENT***

In  2014 the Maryland Dept. of Health & Mental Hygiene (DHMH) added the following immunization requirements for all school-age children:

1) All students entering Kindergarten are now required to have received 2 MMR vaccinations and 2 Varicella vaccinations; documentation of all required shots must be submitted prior to the start of the school year.

2) All students entering 7th grade are now required to have received one Tdap vaccination AND one Meningococcal vaccination; documentation of all required shots must be submitted prior to the start of the school year.

*NOTES: The Archdiocese does not accept opt-out of immunizations; contact school RN or ADW for Medical Exemption Policies. Anytime your child gets a new vaccination, please request an updated shot record copy for the school from your Physician/Licensed Provider--they will not automatically forward this document to us (per HIPAA privacy laws). It is the Parent/Guardian's responsibility to provide updated health information & any related documents in order for student to remain current & compliant at school.

GENERAL  HEALTH ROOM (HR)   INFORMATION  &  SCHOOL  HEALTH  POLICIES

1. A Licensed Registered Nurse (RN) is in the Health Room each school day 7:30AM - 3:30PM. The RN’s primary role is to assess illness & injury, treat accordingly, and then return student to class as soon as possible, or if indicated, to send out for further care. Parent will not be called for every HR visit; Nurse will contact parent when issues require monitoring or non-urgent follow-up. In an Emergency, 911/EMS is called first, and parent is contacted ASAP thereafter.

2. A Green Health & Emergency Contact Form is sent home for every student each school year.  Please be thorough in completing this form and return to HR as soon as possible; this form is a critical HR resource and all info is kept confidential. List all pertinent health info and keep HR updated/current throughout the year; report all Contact Info changes immediately to School Office. *Send all health-related documentation to the HR regarding immunizations, illness, injury, surgery, Back-to-School Clearances, activity restrictions, required treatments, school-day health concerns & instructions, etc.

*NOTE: Without a note, email, or documentation from a parent or Physician/Licensed Provider advising restrictions, students are expected to participate in all school activities, including PE class.

3. Please send a sturdy, reusable water bottle, labeled with student's name, to school each day.  Ample hydration fosters overall good health and well-being, especially in school-age children, for optimal growth and development; for improved stress-coping & stamina; for fewer complaints of headaches, allergy, or illness; for good digestion and motility; for better memory, participation and test performance; etc.

4. Many students are anxious at school, especially if new, or if something stressful is going on.  If sent to HR, student will be evaluated, and a parent may be called--often you need only speak with your child to help offer reassurance. Symptoms are frequently relieved by brief rest, a drink of water or snack, or by trying the bathroom. If anxious before school, please do not tell your child to go to the Nurse or to call you by a certain time--they will ALWAYS come to HR and want to call you, then expect to be promptly picked up to go home, even if not clinically ill; instead, please alert RN to monitor for a possible illness or other difficulty, so we can help student clarify their issues, build resources and coping skills.

5. Avoid Emergency Care/Treatment delays for students with chronic conditions like Asthma, Severe Allergy, Diabetes, Seizures, etc, by completing Authorization process before each school year begins; Authorizations must be renewed each school year.  (see Medication/Treatment Policies below)

*NOTE: We are Not a Nut/Allergen-free school but make all efforts to minimize risks & exposure. Alert Home Room Teacher & RN about severe allergy to foods, medication, Latex, bee stings, pet dander, etc, especially if student requires Rx EpiPen. Submit required Forms and Rx, send in a supply of preferred allergy-free & non-perishable treats, and collaborate with ‘Room Parents’ to plan for allergy-free class treats & events.

6. Any student with Rx-dependent conditions requiring monitoring & care during the school day eg. Diabetes, Seizure disorder, etc, must have a Parent/Guardian accompany them on all Field Trips & off-campus activities. School RN does not go off campus with Field Trips or other school-sponsored activities.

7. Do not send a student with a fever to school, and do not return them to school until fever-free for 24 hours without any medicine help  (fever-reducing medicines include acetaminophen [Tylenol], aspirin [Bayer], ibuprofen [Advil or Motrin], or combination products like Pediacare, Dayquil, Triaminic, Theraflu, etc). And please, do not give fever medicine and then send student to school; it will wear off in 4 hours and you will have to come take your child back home anyway. Fever medicines mask illness symptoms--your child can still be contagious, passing illness along to others at school.

*NOTE: A normal core body temperature is 97-99ºF (36.1-37.2ºC), most accurately measured rectally or tympanically (ear canal). Oral and forehead temps are not reliable; we measure tympanically at school. Health Dept. and School policies require a student to be sent home if 100ºF (37.8ºC) or higher. Although 99-100º (37.2-37.6ºC) can feel uncomfortable & make the forehead feel “warm,” these are 'low-grade' temperatures, often due to non-illness, benign, or temporary causes, like under-hydration, intense concentration/stress, vigorous exercise/play, seasonal allergies/pollen, hot/humid weather, immunization reactions, etc. Fever of 102ºF (38.9C) or higher requires medical attention for possible bacterial or viral illness, heat stroke, severe injury/trauma, etc; some medicines and diseases can also induce high fevers. (see school website Health Topics for more info)

****As guidelines are being written regarding COVID-19, we may need to adapt our policies for attending school throughout the upcoming school year. The nurse can make a call and send home a child based on sick criteria met and past medical history. *****

8. Repeated vomiting and/or diarrhea at any time indicates illness or infection; keep child home for at least 24hours AFTER the last episode to allow for adequate rest & recovery, and to reduce spread of illness at school; call your Physician/Licensed Provider if illness symptoms persist.

9. A student diagnosed with Communicable disease and/or who misses 3 or more days of school due to illness or injury, must submit a Physician/Licensed Provider's Back-to-School clearance to RN before returning to class. Included diagnoses: Pink eye, Flu, Pneumonia, Strep throat, Ringworm, Impetigo, Measles, Chicken Pox, Whooping Cough/Pertussis, Tuberculosis/TB, Meningitis, Hepatitis, HIV/AIDS; complications of or prolonged Asthma, Diabetes, or Seizures; severe trauma/injury and/or surgery. Contact RN for accountability details & Back-to-School Clearance requirements. 

10. Keep child home for at least 24 hours after the first dose of any prescribed antibiotic. Student may return thereafter, provided any remaining symptoms will be manageable at school.

11. A student with open skin lesions may not be at school until AFTER examined by a Physician/Licensed Provider and a Back-to-School Clearance note/proof of treatment is submitted to RN. Before student returns to class, all exposed lesions must be completely covered by Band-Aids or appropriate/approved head cover. (see school website Health Topics for more info)

12. Parent will be called if student has Lice/Pediculosis; student does not have to leave school until the end of the day, but proof of approved Home or Professional treatment and re-check by RN is required before student may return to class. A second treatment in 7-10 days is strongly recommended. (see school website Health Topics for more info)

13. When student needs to go home, please arrange for prompt pick up within 30-60 minutes. Student will rest & wait in HR. You must sign student out from school at the Front Reception desk; for everyone's safety, we cannot release a student to anyone not authorized to pick up (must be listed with us as a Primary or Secondary Emergency Contact) Depending on symptoms the nurse may need to provide the child a mask to wear to protect others from entering the Health Room. 

14. HR has a limited inventory of loaner garments for those torn or soiled during the school day. Loaners are for emergency First Aid & damage exchange only; all are clean, but "gently used," old-style items & fitted as available. Original clothing & explanation note will be sent home; please promptly launder & return all loaned items to HR.

15. Call Nurse at 301-262-0203, ext 212, with any questions or to discuss student's health. If no one answers, please leave a voicemail and your call will be returned ASAP. You may also email: [email protected]  For an emergency, please speak to someone in the School Office who can alert the RN by other means.

MEDICATION & TREATMENT POLICIES & GUIDELINES FOR PARENTS  (as per Maryland State Law, DHMH Regulations, and ADW Schools Policies)

• A Parent may always come to give medicine to their own child at school, except to treat acute illness symptoms; for safety & decorum please come to HR to administer any medicine or treatment. Acute illness cannot be treated at school; student will always be sent home for care of fever, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, etc.
• A Physician's Order or copy of Discharge Instructions is required on file in HR to authorize special instructions, exceptions, mobility assistance & accommodations, etc, during the school day eg. for frequent hydration and/or bathroom breaks, regular rest periods, special therapies, use of HR's wheelchair, etc.
• Whenever feasible, schedule routine/non-emergency medicine & treatments at home, outside of school hours.
• Try to anticipate Medication or Treatment needs before the school year begins. Get Authorization forms completed & renew meds for managing ADHD, Asthma, Severe Allergies, Diabetes, pain (headaches, orthodontia, tendonitis, cramps, etc), Seizures, etc, during the summer to avoid treatment delays and lost school/work time for all concerned.
• The first dose of any new medicine must be given at home, in a Doctor's office, in a Hospital or Clinic setting--not at school.
• ALL medication at school must be securely stored & administered in the HR under authorized adult supervision. (unless student is fully pre-authorized to carry & self-administer). Applies all Prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, including Controlled Rx, antibiotics, nebs/inhalers, allergy products, eye drops, nasal sprays, Tums/Pepto-Bismol, Tylenol, Motrin/Advil, Fast-Melts, vitamins, lotions/salves, etc.
• Each medicine or Treatment must have a separate Authorization Form completed each school year (in addition to any Action Plans) by both a Parent/Guardian and a Physician/Licensed Provider, and which must be on file in HR before anything can be dispensed or administered. Forms are available in HR or for download from school website (Important: the incomplete Health Room Forms Library at FACTS is available ONLY under 'Admissions Forms' and ONLY during a student's First Year of enrollment at St Pius; thereafter you cannot access nor upload them. Please refer to our complete Health Room Forms Library at right and consult School RN for what is needed and help with processing).
  *NOTE: Unauthorized and/or unlabeled medicines CANNOT be accepted nor given at school, even with a parent's note from home. Unauthorized medicine will be confiscated, and a parent will have to come to HR to retrieve it.
• Telephone Orders are accepted only from a Physician/Licensed Provider by the school RN; a hard copy of their written order and a signed Parent/Guardian Authorization must follow and be on file before any medicine/treatment can be provided.
• A Parent/Guardian must personally bring in and take home all antibiotic and controlled Prescriptions (eg. Rx for ADHD, Seizures, etc).
• ALL medicine must be in its original container, with a viable expiration date. Prescriptions must have the complete Pharmacy label affixed; OTC's must be in the original Manufacturer's container. Ask Pharmacist for labeled refills for all needed locations (home, school, day care, sports club, etc). *Parent also provides any needed supportive equipment eg. glucometer test strips, syringes, oral dosers, inhaler spacer, nebs tubing+mask or T-piece, P.T./comfort measures, shelter-in-place supplies, etc *NOTE: HR does maintain (2) non-portable nebulizer machines for school-day use.

For medication safety & viability, please do not ever leave any medicine in a vehicle or garage where temperature extremes will denature and/or damage them, especially Rx rescue inhalers & EpiPen’s, rendering them useless in a medical emergency.

• Student may carry & self-administer medication in school ONLY with express written authorization of a Physician/Licensed Provider and a Parent/Guardian. Authorizations must be on file in HR. School RN will review policies & procedures with student to verify understanding & ability; privilege will be revoked if student cannot manage appropriately or responsibly. It is always a good idea to have a duplicate Rx supply provided to HR for back-up.
• Emergency Medication (eg. rescue inhaler, EpiPen) is sent on all school Field Trips & off-campus activities unless otherwise instructed. A Parent-chaperone or Homeroom Teacher will be responsible for medicines during the activity, unless student has been pre-authorized to carry & self-administer; School RN does not go off campus with Field Trips or other school-sponsored activities. 
• Contact school RN for any questions/clarifications via phone: 301-262-0203, ext 212, or email: [email protected]