The Daniel Boone Area School District Health Services department consists of a team of five school nurses. School nurses ensure all PA state mandated guidelines are followed, all students have proper immunizations, and all students have periodic physical and dental exams. Additionally the department ensures all students are screened for height, weight, BMI, vision and hearing. School nurses provide basic first aid and communicate with parents if a student is ill or seriously injured.
We would like to remind parents of current students and inform our new families of the school guidelines used for assessing sick children. It is our goal to keep the school environment as healthy as possible for all children.
A child will be sent home if he or she has:
a temperature of 100 degrees or higher
a rash/skin eruption, with or without drainage, of unknown origin
active vomiting or diarrhea
suspected contagious illness
a serious injury or appears obviously ill
Please be aware that we encourage students to stay in class when possible. The nurses do not routinely notify parents of minor illness or injury.
Guidelines for parents to follow to avoid exposing other children to possibly contagious illness and to help prevent excessive clinic visits in school are as follows:
Children with a temperature above 100 degrees must be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school.
Injuries that happen at home or over the weekend should be taken care of prior to returning to school.
If a child vomits or has diarrhea during the night or in the morning before school, that child should be kept at home for 24 hours from the last episode.
If they have red swollen eyes that itch and are draining pus or have a crusty appearance upon awakening, they should be kept home and see a doctor.
If they have a productive cough that cannot be controlled with the medication they should stay home.
If they have been diagnosed with a communicable illness such as chickenpox, impetigo, scabies, lice and/or ringworm, they will need a doctor’s note to return to school
If you as a parent or guardian is called by the school nurse, please pick up your child in a timely manner. The nurse will only call home if she feels the child really needs to leave school.
No child will be released without a parent/guardian/alternate of the parent notified. If your child calls you from their phone to pick them up due to illness – please contact the school nurse before coming to the school. Please note – only the nurse will call you if your child is ill. Students are never permitted to send themselves home.
Encourage your child to eat a nutritious breakfast and lunch as this prevents many stomachaches, headaches, poor concentration, and fatigue. Encourage your child to get adequate rest. Teach your child to wash their hands frequently – before and after meals, after using the bathroom, etc. Parents will be notified if a child is seen frequently in the clinic with minor complaints of illness or injury that tend to be chronic and contributes to a lot of missed class time.
What your school nurse cannot do:
Diagnose or treat illnesses or injuries (other than basic first aid for incidents that occur during school hours)
Keep stocked medications (other than those for which the school physician has given orders and parents have given written permission for their student to take)
Replace good medical care from a family heath care provider
Please update your emergency card throughout the school year! Often parents will have changes in work numbers, cell phone numbers, emergency contacts, etc. Valuable time is frequently spent by school nurses or office staff trying to locate a parent for a sick or injured child.
If at any time you have questions regarding your child’s health, please feel free to call the nurse in your child’s school.
