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Roberge School

Health Office Guidelines

JoAnn Hirsch, R.N., M.S.N.

Certified School Nurse

 

          The information contained in these guidelines has been compiled in order to help you, the parent, make sound decisions regarding the health of your child, and the many people they come in contact with throughout their school day.  My job, as School Nurse, is to provide a safe, healthy environment, which is optimal for learning, for all students, staff and faculty.  Please take some time to read through these guidelines, and keep them, as you may want to refer to them throughout the year.

 

*      Attendance Policy

“In order for the board of education to fulfill its responsibility for providing a thorough and efficient education for each pupil, the complete cooperation of parents/guardians and pupils is required to maintain a high level of school attendance.


The frequent absence of pupils from classroom learning experiences disrupts the continuity of the instructional process and limits the ability of pupils to complete the prescribed curriculum requirements successfully.


A pupil must be in attendance for 165 or more school days in order to be considered to have successfully completed the instructional program requirements of the grade/course to which he/she is assigned.”

This is the RiverVale Board of Education policy on attendance.  Please keep this in mind when scheduling vacations, doctors appointments, and other commitments which will cause your child to be absent from school, as you never know how many absences will be necessary due to illness.

 

*      Absence From School

If your child will be absent from school, it is essential that you notify the school nurse no later than 9:00 a.m. by calling 201-358-4006.  When you call, please provide the reason for the absence.  This is important so we can account for the safety and well being of every child as well as track the incidence of any communicable illnesses.  Every student must be accounted for every day.

If your child is absent from school due to illness, they may not come into the school for any special activities, such as class plays, class trips, assembly programs, class parties, concerts, etc.  If they are not well enough to be in class, they should stay home to rest and recover.

 

*      Return To School

Upon your child’s return to school, they must bring a note to the Health Office with the dates of your child’s absence and the reason for the absence.  Your child will them be readmitted to school providing they have been free of symptoms for at least 24 hours.

 

*      When to Keep Your Child Home

In order to limit the spread of germs to other students and staff, and your child’s exposure to additional illness, please follow these guidelines when deciding whether to keep your child home from school.

*      A fever of 99° or above.  Your child must have been without fever for at least 24 hour before they may return to school.

*      Any vomiting and/or diarrhea.  If your child has vomited, they should remain home for at least 24 hours.

*      Sore throat – if your child has a sore throat, (I do not give out cough drops!) and you suspect they could have strept throat, or if you have had them tested for strept throat at their doctor’s, do not send them to school until you have negative results.  If they have strept throat, they must have been on antibiotics for 24 hours before returning to school.

*      Persistent coughing that may be disruptive to the class.

*      Cold or runny nose – if nasal discharge is excessive or not clear.  (Please send them with tissues, if they do come to school.)

*      If you note any discharge from the eye(s).

 

      5.  When Will Your Child Be Sent Home From School

*      Any fever of 99° or above.

*      Vomiting or diarrhea.  Any student who states that they have vomited or had diarrhea, will be sent home.

*      Persistent, disruptive cough.

*      Nasal discharge that is not clear and /or excessive.

*      Pink eye and any discharge from the eye.

*      Any student may be sent home from school at the discretion of the School Nurse, if it is felt that the child is not in optimal health.

 

  1. Emergency Contact Information

Please be sure to complete the emergency contact information form provided, and keep the contact telephone numbers up-to-date.  Please notify the school immediately of any changes in work or cell phone numbers.  It is very important that we be able to reach someone at all times.

 

  1. Medication Policy

According to regulations set by the State of New Jersey, it is required that you provide a written prescription from your child’s doctor for any and all medication that is to be administered during school hours.  This also includes all over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol, Motrin, Advil, Visine eye drops, etc.

Please understand that no exceptions will be made, as this is a mandate from the State of New Jersey and not just a district policy.

If you feel that your child may need any medications during school hours, the following procedures must be followed:

*      An Authorization for Administration of Medication form must be completed by both the physician and the parent.  One form must be completed for each medication.  This form is available on the web site.

*      Medication must be brought to school in the original container, labeled with the child’s name, name of medication, dosage, and the physician’s name.

*      Medication must be brought to school by the parent.  Children may not bring any medication to school.

*      All medication will be kept and administered in the Health Office.

If your child is taking medication on a long-term basis, we request that you notify the School Nurse, even if that medication is not taken in school.  This information may be vitally important in case of an emergency situation.

 

  1. Healthy Foods

*      Breakfast is probably the most important meal of the day, especially for school aged children.  It provides them with the energy they need to function.  Without a healthy breakfast, children may have difficulty paying attention and concentrating in class, therefore learning may not be optimal.  Please be sure to provide your child with a healthy breakfast every morning.

*      Studies indicate that in order to achieve at optimal levels, children need to eat at regular intervals.  Thus, all children will have snack time at about 10:00 each morning.  Please be sure that you send your child to school with a healthy snack.  Cookies, chips, and candy are never allowed.  Fresh fruit, vegetables, cheese, yogurt, applesauce and muffins are better choices.  Your child’s teacher will give you more specific guidelines for an acceptable snack in their classroom.

*      Please also provide only healthy foods to school in your child’s lunch at school.  Soda is not an acceptable beverage in school.  Children should drink milk, water or 100% fruit or vegetable juices with their lunch or snack.  Foods of minimal nutritional value, foods that list sugar as the first ingredient, and foods with a fat content of greater than 8% per serving should not be sent to school.  Please review the River Vale School Nutrition Policy #3542.1, available on the district web-site for more specific guidelines on acceptable foods in school.

*      Children are instructed to never share their food with others, as there are many children who may have food allergies and/or various dietary restrictions.  Please reinforce this at home.

*      All foods brought into school for class parties, or other special occasions must also be a healthy choice.  Due to the increasing number of students with peanut or any other food allergies, any food brought into school must also comply with food guidelines to ensure the safety of all students.  The classroom teacher or the school nurse must approve all foods brought to school, as they may be aware of students who have food allergies and/or dietary restrictions in the classroom.

 

9.     Physical Examinations

The River Vale Board of Education requires that students entering Kindergarten and recommends that all third grade students show evidence that they have had a physical examination by their private medical doctor.  This physical exam must be dated between July 1st and June 30th of that school year.  If you are unable to provide your child with this physical exam, the school physician may be contacted to perform this examination.  (The physical examination form is available on the River Vale Schools web site.)