• Illness and PE Excuses

     

    **If your child has tested positive for COVID-19 or has been exposed to someone that is ill or has tested positive for COVID-19, please notify the School Nurse IMMEDIATELY by calling 623-376-3310.  Please also see more information about Health Office Protocols for ill students under Health Office Protocols during COVID tab at left. **

     

     First aid and medical care provided by the school nurse is mainly for illnesses or injuries that occur at school during the school day. The Health Office is not a primary care facility like a doctor's office. The nurse is qualified to collaborate with you and your child's physician to provide an educational environment in which your child can learn and thrive. The school nurse does not make medical diagnoses or prescribe treatments or medication. The school nurse can provide treatments and administer medications that are prescribed by a physician, as long as the proper documentation is completed by the physician and a written doctor's order is received. 

     If a student feels ill during the school day, they should report their complaint to their classroom teacher and receive a referral/pass to the nurse. 

     Please keep your child home if they have any of the following signs and symptoms of illness:

      -Fever (oral temperature of 100.0 or more)                                            -Headache

      -Diarrhea or loose stools                                                                         -Earache

      -Unexplained rash                                                                                    -Swelling to neck or face

      -Vomiting                                                                                                  -Deep cough 

      -Very Sore Throat                                                                                     -Potential Communicable Disease

      -Paleness/Appearing Flush

     

    ** Children with a fever of 100.0 degrees or more MUST be fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications, regardless of how they feel, before returning to school.** Do not send a sick child to school for the school nurse to decide whether he/she should be in school. If in doubt, call your family physician. School nurses can assess and refer, but we do not diagnose and will always refer to your physician in doubt. 

     If your child is diagnosed with a contagious illness, such as strep throat or pink eye, he/she must have been on antibiotic treatment and free of fever for 24 hours prior to returning to school. Please also contact the Health Center.

     

    Physical Education Excuses:

    Students requesting to be excused from PE must bring a note signed by their parent to the Nurse.  The Nurse will then write an "Excused from PE" pass for the student to take to their PE teacher.  Any request for three or more consecutive days of PE excuses must be accompanied by a physician's written order or note.   PE teachers will be informed of the length of the student's PE excuse and any accommodations that need to be made for your child.  If your child has a health condition that causes him/her to miss PE class frequently, a doctor's note will be required.

    All injuries requiring any type of orthopedic support (ie. splint, brace, cast) or assistive device (ie crutches, wheelchair) on campus must be reported to the Health Office and medical documentation from a physician must be sent in regarding a student's medical treatment . If your child sustains a fracture and has a splint or a cast, or has been authorized by a physician to use crutches or a wheelchair while on campus, please check in with the nurse prior to the child returning to class. I will need a doctor's note for them to utilize crutches or a wheelchair on campus.  If the student is enrolled in PE, a written PE/activity restriction notice from the child's physician is required stating how long the child is to be out or what restrictions they may have, as well as a written release stating when the child may return to physical education activities once the student's injury has healed and/or treatment is complete.