The health office staff is eager to cooperate with you, as parents, to be sure that your child is healthy and ready to learn. Please keep your school nurse informed of changes in your child's health, allergies, injuries, etc.

COVID-19 and Respiratory Infection Guidelines

We continue to follow the latest guidelines related to COVID-19.  Following the updated CDC recommendations, the NYS Department of Health revised its guidance on March 7, 2024 for when to stay home and when individuals can return to normal activities after respiratory infections including COVID-19, influenza and RSV.  Below is the school district recommended protocol for when students should stay home and when they should return to school following a positive COVID test.  This protocol is consistent with our requirements for the flu and other respiratory illnesses.
Students should stay home if they have any of the following symptoms:
                   *Fever, chills, fatigue, persistent cough, runny nose, and headache*

• Students may return to school when overall symptoms have improved and they have not had a fever for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.
• After returning to school, it is recommended that students take added precautions over the next 5 days, including masking and enhanced hygiene (e.g. covering coughs and sneezes, handwashing).
• Keep in mind that people may still be able to spread the virus that makes them sick, even if they are feeling better, so it is important to take extra precautions after resuming normal activities.

 We appreciate your cooperation in these health matters.  Please contact your child’s school nurse if you have any questions.

Please do not send cough drops, ointments, or other over-the-counter products to school, unless you have an order from a medical provider.

If an Emergency Occurs: 
The nurse, or another staff member, is responsible to provide first aid should an emergency occur at school.  It is necessary to inform the health office of telephone numbers where parents may be reached if an emergency arises.  We also request the names and phone numbers of 2 reliable friends or relatives who could assume temporary care of your child if illness should occur and you cannot be reached. 

Deciding When Your Child Should Stay Home:
When deciding whether to send your child to school, the following guidelines may be helpful.

Keep Symptomatic Children Home! 
When your child has the following symptoms, they should not attend school:

• Has a temperature of 100.3 or greater
• Feels feverish or has chills
• Has a persistent cough
• Is experiencing loss of taste or smell
• Is fatigued/has a feeling of tiredness
• Has a sore throat
• Experiences shortness of breath or trouble breathing
• Is nauseous or is vomiting
• Has diarrhea
• Experiences muscle pain or body aches
• Has a headache
• Has nasal congestion/runny nose

Use of Sunscreen in School
Please consider your child’s need for skin protection from the sun as we enjoy warm weather.   Consider the need for your child to have sunscreen available during the school day.  If your child understands the use of sunscreen, you may send FDA approved sunscreen into school with a parent note allowing the child to apply it as needed.

If your child is not able to articulate the need for and use of sunscreen, a medical order from your provider will be required. Please call your school nurse if you have any questions.

Links to more information:

Sunwise from the National Environmental Education Foundation: https://www.neefusa.org/sunwise  

EPA’s Action Steps for Sun Safety: https://www.epa.gov/sunsafety/action-steps-sun-safety   

Head Lice information:
• Lice are small, grayish-white, wingless bugs, about the size of a sesame seed. They can have a reddish-brown appearance.

• Lice cannot jump or hop, and they do not have wings.

• Lice are easily spread through direct head-to-head contact.

• Lice can be passed by sharing head coverings, such as helmets, hats, and hair accessories.
 
Treatment MUST be done at the same time as cleaning the living environment. For children traveling between parents, share this information with everyone involved.   Head lice are very common and it can affect everyone within the household. Everyone in the household must be checked.
 
Head lice can cause attention problems in school children. Most children will have a “tickly” or “itchy” sensation, but not always. The older the child, the less likely they are to communicate with parents. If you have older children in the house, make sure that you check and treat them yourself. Do not leave it up to them; everyone needs help.

Follow the steps below to help us control head lice in our school:

Visit http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/gen_info/faqs.html to see exactly what lice and eggs (nits) look like.

• In the strongest, natural light possible, check your child’s head carefully for lice and eggs. Lice lay eggs approximately 1/8” from the scalp. The further down the hair shaft the eggs are found will indicate how long your child has had head lice. Lice eggs can be tiny.

• If you find lice, treat as directed at http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/treatment.html or speak to your medical provider.

• After you have treated and inspected your child’s head, you must clean the child’s living environment before the child returns to it. If you are a custodial parent, please make sure to share this with other guardians of your child. Cleaning includes vacuuming your home and bedding, and washing linens.

Our school health office may inspect students or employees in close head to head contact or someone who exhibits symptoms of itchy scalp, but we do not restrict students or employees from attending school once an infestation has been treated.  Many times head lice infestations may not have symptoms or be present weeks before symptoms occur. We encourage students not to share hats or clothing items and provide them with separate hooks/lockers for their clothing.

If you have any questions, please contact your school nurse.