FROM THE SCHOOL NURSE
Annual Health Forms
Please complete the annual health form that will be sent digitally in a few days. It is important for us to have any updates to your student’s medical history, medications, permission for over the counter medications, and permission for emergency care. Reach out to the school front office if you lose yours.
Student Medical Concerns and Emergency Medical Plans
If your student has a medical condition that may require treatment, monitoring, or other needs at school, please reach out by email or phone to make us aware of the issue. If you have an emergency plan from a healthcare provider for concerns such as asthma, allergies, seizures, or diabetes please share these with us as well.
Student Illness and COVID
We expect students and staff to stay home with any potentially contagious illnesses or symptoms including the following:
Vomiting/diarrhea-must be 24 hours symptom free before returning to school
Fever 100.4 or greater (Please note this used to be 100 or greater, but this has changed with the input of our district medical consultants at Porter Pediatrics)-home until fever free without use of medication for 24 hours
Any infection requiring antibiotic-keep your student home until they have been on antibiotics for 24 hours
Persistent cough that disrupts normal activity
Unexplained rash
Influenza-stay home until fever free without medication for 24 hours
Any other symptoms or illness that impedes a student’s ability to learn or staff’s ability to work.
You may return once feeling well enough to be at school and fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications.
Click here to view our COVID and Contagious illness guidance infographic. We are currently waiting to hear if we will continue to have access to COVID tests to send home with families and staff as needed. At this time, the school nurse will no longer be able to test students or staff for COVID at school though this is subject to change.
Vaccine Information
If your student has received any of the school-required vaccines since last year, please send us this info. We do not need dates of flu or COVID vaccines. If your student has a religious exemption, please complete and send us an exemption form yearly.
By clicking on this link, you can access the most updated information and resources on vaccinations through the Vermont Department of Health. This includes annual vaccination rate data, school vaccination requirements, information on exemptions and exemption forms.
Prescription and Over-the-counter Medications
We do not allow students to carry prescribed or over the counter medications on them at school. Exceptions to this include students who carry an inhaler, EpiPen, Benadryl, diabetic supplies or other approved emergency medications.
Daily medications that need to be taken during school hours can be kept in the nursing office. These require orders from the prescribing healthcare provider, caregiver permission for administration at school and should be sent to school in the original pharmacy bottle. We ask that any medications be dropped off by an adult and not sent to school with a student. We have a variety of over-the-counter medications in the health office for students to access for daily concerns such as headache, cramps, upset stomach, seasonal allergies, sore throat, etc. We do need signed permission on the annual health form to administer these.
Vision and Hearing Screening
Per Vermont state requirements, the school nurse will complete vision and hearing screening on MUMS 7th graders. We are also happy to screen your student if you have concerns at any time. If these screenings are abnormal you will receive a letter with the screening results to review and share with your student’s healthcare provider.
Wishing everyone a great new school year. Please reach out anytime!
Elizabeth Palko, BSN RN
MUMS School Nurse
epalko@acsdvt.org
(802) 382-1270
ACSD Health Services webpage
