Medical Policies
HEALTH REQUIREMENTS AND MEDICATION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Students’ Health: We have invested in a staff that is active, healthy, and caring. They are committed to being very active with your children. Students will be engaged in physical activity daily. As a result, children are expected to be in good health when attending school. Colds, flu, and other childhood illnesses spread from child to child with alarming speed. Students with infectious conditions, such as chicken pox, strep throat, head lice, or ringworm must stay home until the infectious stage has passed or cleared by a medical provider. Please inform the office of your child’s illness as soon as possible.
Students with fever, sore throat, eye infection, persistent cough, or severe nasal excretions should remain at home. Students with symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, or undiagnosed skin rash should also remain at home.
Children should be fever-free, vomit-free, and diarrhea-free (unmedicated) for 24 hours before returning to school.
If your child becomes ill at school or exhibits any of the above symptoms, we will contact you to arrange to have him/her picked up right away. We understand how difficult this can be for working parents, yet all our children become ill from time to time. Please arrange for a friend or relative to come when you cannot.
Weather permitting, students go outside to play every day. If you feel your child is too sick to go out to play, he or she is probably too sick to be at school. If your child is ill and will not be coming to school, please call our office by 8:30 to let us know he or she will be absent.
Additionally, if a student misses instructional time during the day because of illness, participation in afterschool activities on that day is prohibited.
Emergency Care
In a medical situation requiring immediate attention, we will want your child to be evaluated by a medical provider immediately. Please remember to keep your emergency contact information in the main office current.
Contact Information
We must be able to reach you at any time during the school day. If your contact information changes, please email our Registrar, Mrs. Rosch, at Leslie.Rosch@sigsbee.org. This includes changes to your pickup information.
Immunizations
All new students seeking entrance into a public school in Monroe County are required by Florida Statute 1003.22 to present at the time of entry, valid documentation that they have received the required immunizations against the communicable diseases as identified by the State of Florida or to provide a Certificate of Medical Exemption (temporary or permanent) based on medical reason filled out by a medical provider or Certificate of Religious Exemption tenets.
The Florida Certification of Immunization, which includes temporary and permanent medical exemption sections, is available from private physicians or the Florida Department of Health-Monroe.
*Documentation of Immunizations
*Documentation of Temporary Medical Exemption per student’s medical provider.
*Documentation of Permanent Medical Exemption per student’s medical provider.
Physical/Health Exam
Florida Statute 1003.22 and School Board policy require all new students seeking entrance into a public school in Monroe County to present, at the time of entry, valid documentation that they have received a health examination performed within 1 year before enrollment. The physical must address all systems and may be on DH3040 or another form meeting these requirements. Students may be excluded from this requirement only on grounds of religious exemption in writing by the parent/guardian.
Student Use of Medication
Effective July 2023, students may carry FDA-approved medications to treat headaches. Medications should be in the original bottle and in the smallest quantity possible. Documentation is not required by the parent, and this is separate from the school clinic operation. No other medications may be carried unless the medical provider and parent complete the Authorization to Self-Carry Medication form. This will need to be submitted to the school nurse.
The School Board shall not be responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of student illness. The administration of prescribed medication and/or medically prescribed treatments to a student during school hours will be permitted only when failure to do so would jeopardize the student's health, the student would not be able to attend school if the medication or treatment were not made available during school hours, or the child is disabled and requires medication to benefit from his/her educational program.
For this policy, “medication” shall include all medicines prescribed by a medical provider and any over-the-counter drugs, preparations, and/or remedies. Prescription and over-the-counter medications must be prescribed by a medical provider.
Before any prescribed medication or treatment may be administered to any student during school hours, the School shall require the written prescription from the child’s medical provider and a labeled prescription bottle accompanied by the written authorization of the parent. The first dosage of any newly prescribed medication shall not be administered during school hours due to the possibility of an allergic reaction. When medication is delivered to the School, the designated employees will count it and document it on the consent form.
These documents shall be kept in the school clinic and made available to the persons designated by this policy as authorized to administer medication or treatment. No student is allowed to provide or sell any type of over-the-counter medication to another student.
Only medication in its original container labeled with the date, the student’s name, medical provider, medication name, strength, dosage, route and scheduling, and possible side effects will be administered. The Authorization to Administer Medication form must be filled out and accompany any medication given during school hours.
The Principal and school nurse shall determine a location in each building where the medications to be administered under this policy shall be stored. This location shall be a locked storage place unless the medication requires refrigeration, in which case it shall be stored in a locked refrigerator or locked box in a refrigerator not commonly used by students.
However, students may be permitted to carry and use, as necessary, an asthma inhaler, diabetic supplies, Epi-pen, and Cystic Fibrosis prescribed medications, in their original containers and labeled with the Medical Provider’s orders as described in the previous paragraph, provided the student must have prior written permission from his/her parent and treating physician and has submitted the Statement of Permission for Administration Assistance, to the principal and school nurse assigned to the building.
The principal, school administrators, and the student’s teaching staff will also be advised of any/all permission to carry and self-administrate specific medications/ procedures outlined.
The Principal and the school nurse shall designate at least 2 staff members as clinic designees and administer medication pursuant to this policy. The principal shall submit the names of those so designated annually.
Students who may require administration of an emergency medication may have such medication, identified and stored in the school clinic and administered following this policy.
Our staff members are prohibited from providing or administering any over-the-counter medications except as authorized in writing by you and the child’s physician.
Please contact the School Nurse with any concerns or questions.
Or schedule an appointment with the school nurse: Jeanne.Berg@sigsbee.org
Use of Assistive Medical Equipment: Crutches, Canes, Walkers, Wheelchairs, Braces, and Splints.
Medical devices such as crutches, canes, walkers wheelchairs, braces, and splints are prescribed by the medical provider to facilitate mobility or provide support or alignment of an injured or deformed body part. Parents are required to submit any/all orders about using any/all of these devices, including activity limitations, mobility assistance, and the length of time for the order, and notify staff of these accommodations.
EPINEPHRINE USE
The student who has experienced or is at risk for life-threatening allergic reactions may carry an epinephrine auto-injector and self-administer epinephrine by auto-injector while in school, participating in school-sponsored activities, or in transit to and from school or school-sponsored activities if the school has been provided with parental and physician authorization. A school district, county health department, public-private partner, and their employees and volunteers shall be indemnified by the parent of a student authorized to carry an epinephrine auto-injector for any liability and all liability concerning the student’s use of an epinephrine auto-injector.
ALLERGIES
It is the parent’s responsibility to notify the school nurse of any allergies. This information will be shared with all staff members who have contact with the student.
FIELD TRIPS
Older students often participate in overnight field trips. Parents are responsible for contacting the school nurse well before the trip to arrange for any medication (over-the-counter or prescription) to be distributed. Please do not wait until the day of the trip to make the necessary arrangements.
HEALTH SERVICES
MANDATORY HEALTH SCREENINGS
School Health Services Program conducts mandatory health screening activities for KG, 1st, 3rd, and 6th grades each school year. Screenings are mandated by State Statute, occurring on a schedule, dependent on guidelines established by the Florida Department of Health-School Health Program and scheduled by the Florida Department of Health - Monroe, School Health Coordinator. Mandatory Health screenings include the following activities: vision screening, hearing screening, measurement of height and weight, with Body Mass Indexing calculators, and scoliosis screening. Parents or guardians must inform the school in writing if they do not wish their child to participate in any portion of this program. Additionally, a health screening (vision and hearing) is required on all NEW students (grades K-5), entering the school district for the first time.
COMMUNICABLE DISEASE
Students with symptoms indicating the possible presence of a communicable disease shall be isolated from other students. The parent or guardian shall be contacted and asked to take the student home. The student shall be readmitted with a written statement from a licensed physician and/or when in the principal’s or designee’s judgment, the student meets the criteria for readmission. A student must be fever-free for 24 hours without taking temperature-reducing medication. (Per CDC guidelines). Students with Religious Exemptions, per Florida Department of Health guidelines, may be excluded from school in the event of an outbreak.
NO NIT POLICY
The School Board of Monroe County has a “No Nit” policy. If a child is identified as having head lice and/or nits, he/she shall be excluded from school and shall not be permitted to return to school until his or her head is free from lice and nits. Nits are white eggs that lice lay which adhere to strands of hair. Parents are responsible for providing the appropriate treatment to eliminate head lice and nits before the child returns to school. A child should be checked by the school nurse to obtain clearance to return to class. A child should miss no more than one or two school days because of head lice. Excessive absences due to head lice shall be addressed according to the provisions of the compulsory school attendance law.
PRIVACY RIGHTS UNDER THE HEALTH INFORMATION PORTABILITY ACCOUNTABILITY ACT (HIPAA)
Protected health information includes demographic and medical information that concerns the past, present, or future physical and mental health of your child. Demographic information could include name, address, telephone number, social security number, and any other means of identifying you or your child as a specific person. Protected health information contains specific information that identifies a person or can be used to identify a person. Your child’s protected health information may be used or disclosed for treatment (ex. Emergency care) payments and health care operations. The school district may send medical information to Medicaid, insurance companies, or community agencies to pay for services provided to your child.
Protected health information can be disclosed without parental written authorization in the following circumstances:
*reporting abuse
*investigations related to missing children
*internal investigations and audits or by government agencies.
*public health purposes, including vital statistics, disease reporting, public health surveillance, investigations, interventions, and regulation of health professionals.
* district medical examiner investigations
* research approved by the Department of Health or school board.
* court orders, warrants, or subpoenas
* law enforcement purposes.
PARENTS HAVE THE RIGHT TO :
*request to restrict the use and disclosure of your or your child’s health information
* be assured that information will be kept confidential
* inspect and receive a copy of your or your child’s protected health information
*correct you or your child’s health information