Medication Authorization

H1N1 Information

INFORMATION ABOUT OUR HEALTH ROOM

1. We have an RN Nurse Delegate who oversees all health room activities and there is a certified medication technician/health aide at school every day from 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.  There is also a certified technician in the before/aftercare program.
2. All medications will be given in the Health Room per doctor’s orders. Please do not send any medications without a doctor’s order from a licensed health care provider. Forms are available in the main office. If you are at the doctor’s office and need a form, if possible, please call and request one be faxed to the doctor so it can be filled out before you leave his/her office.
3. Please feel free to call Mrs. Beach any time you have a question or need to discuss your child’s health. If no one answers, please leave a message on voice mail and we will return your call as soon as possible. If it is an emergency, please talk to someone in the main office so that we can be notified by other means.
4. During the school day students will be sent to the Health Room for any cuts, scrapes, bumps or other injuries. We will evaluate the injury and provide appropriate first aide. If the student is in  Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 1st grade, or the injury is significant enough to warrant follow up, a Health Memo will be sent home to be signed by a parent/guardian and needs to be returned the next day.
5. Students will also be sent to the Health Room for any complaints of illness (headache, stomachache, sore throat, etc.) or if a teacher notices a child is not performing well in class due to sleepiness or lethargy. We will evaluate each situation and determine if the student can remain at school or needs to be sent home. If we feel your child is well enough to stay in school, a Health Memo will be sent home indicating your child was seen in the Health Room. Please sign and return one copy of the Health Memo with your child the next day they attend school.
6. We record all Health Room visits throughout the school year. If you ever want a copy of your child’s visits, please call and request it. Your request will be filled within two school days.
7. Many children are worried or nervous about school the first few weeks or when something new is going on in their lives. Please do not tell your child that if he/she comes to school and does not feel well by a certain time you will pick him/her up. Almost all children will watch the clock and head straight to the Health Room when that time draws near!
8. If your child becomes ill at school (e.g. fever over 100, throwing up, diarrhea) and needs to be picked up, please do so in a timely manner. Usually we expect students to be picked up within 30-60 minutes. You will need to come to the Main Office to pick up your child and sign him/her out at Mrs. Beatty’s desk before leaving school. We will only release your child to you or to those listed on your emergency information sheets. If someone else is going to pick up your child, we need to be notified.

MEDICATION GUIDELINES

1. When possible, medication administrations should not be scheduled during school hours.
2. All medication must be kept and administered in the Health Room under adult supervision. This includes all prescription medications and over the counter (OTC) medications (i.e. eye drops, anti-itch creams, nasal sprays, Tums, Tylenol, cough drops, throat lozenges, etc.) UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES IS A CHILD ALLOWED TO HAVE ANY MEDICATIONS IN THEIR BOOKBAGS, DESKS, OR PENCIL CASES.
3. All medications must be in the original labeled container. Loose pills, tablets, etc., will not be accepted or administered. A pharmacist must label prescription medications. Ask for 2 labeled bottles when getting prescriptions filled, one for school and one for home.
4. An adult must bring all controlled substances (Ritalin, Adderall, narcotic pain medicines, etc.) to the Health Room to be counted and recorded. A maximum of 30 days supply will be kept in the Health Room.
5. A student may bring other medications to the Health Room provided a note accompanies it from the parent and the completed medication form. Please call the Office and let us know if your child is bringing medication to school so that we may follow up if we do not receive it.
6. The parent must administer the first dose of any new medication at home.
7. All continuous medication orders (inhalers, epi-pens, etc.) must be rewritten by the child’s health care provider and submitted by the parent/guardian at the start of each school year. No medications are saved from the previous school year; they have either been returned or destroyed.

A parent may come to school to administer a medication to their own child, if it is necessary.

Below are notes to keep in mind:

1. To help prevent illnesses, please stress the importance of hand washing- before meals, after bathroom use, after blowing your nose or sneezing into your hands and frequently throughout the day. Be sure to include 2 handi-wipes in your child’s lunchbox so they may clean their hands before and after lunch. It is not possible to allow children to use the restroom before lunch to wash their hands.
2. Be sure that your child receives plenty of rest and a healthy diet. It is recommended that school-age children receive 9-11 hours of sleep each night. A healthy breakfast is essential to children’s morning attentiveness. Too often children come to the nurse’s office first thing in the morning with a stomachache and inform us that they either ate no breakfast or ate a greasy breakfast. I understand that morning schedules do not always allow for nice, healthy food choices, but a granola bar and a glass of juice is better that nothing.
3. If your child has an elevated temperature (100.0 or higher), is vomiting, or has diarrhea, they must stay home from school. Although a slightly elevated temperature is not always a cause for concern, it is often a precursor to a more serious illness.
4. If your child is at school and has an elevated temperature, begins vomiting, or has diarrhea, we are required by the Maryland State Department to contact you to pick your child within an hour.
5. Your child must be free from fever, vomiting, diarrhea for 24 hours before returning to school. Please note that if your child is sent home from school for any of these reasons, they may not return to school the next day. We will contact you to pick up your child if they return to school prior to the 24-hour period.
6. We are required by the Maryland State Health Department to immediately send home any child with a rash. The child may not return without a physician’s note explaining the rash and any treatment.
7. If your child displays symptoms of conjunctivitis (Pink-eye) we are required to contact you immediately to pick them up. The child may not return to school without a physician’s note stating that it is not contagious, or until the symptoms have resolved, whichever is earlier.
8. Although we do not exclude children from school if they have a cold, cough, or runny nose, please keep the following in mind: If medication is required to control your child’s symptoms so that he/she will feel well enough to function, they should remain at home. Most over-the-counter (OTC) medications and often prescription medications are only effective for 4-6 hours before another dose is required. We are unable to give any medications unless we have a medication form signed by the administering physician. This includes OTC medicines like Tylenol, Benadryl, Cortisone creams, etc. and any prescribed medications including inhalers and antibiotics. Children are not permitted at any time to keep any medications in their backpacks.
9. Although it is difficult for many parents to take a day off from work to stay home with a sick child, please remember that all of our parents are in the same situation. Sending a sick child to school means they can potentially pass that illness on to other children. Thank you for considering and cooperating with these guidelines so all of our students will have the opportunity to stay healthy and do their best in school.