NOTES FROM THE NURSE 
H1N1 INFORMATION
MEDICATION AT SCHOOL
All medication, including over-the-counter medication, must be kept in the nurse's office. When possible, student medication should be scheduled for administration in the home.
The nurse may administer prescription medication when it is in the original, properly labeled container, along with a written request from the parent. No blister packs, plastic bags, or expired medication will be accepted. The nurse may also administer non-prescription medication when it is in the original, properly labeled container, and provided by the parent with a written request. Any student requesting to take an over-the-counter medicine more than three (3) times per school week may be required to submit a signed doctor's authorization stating the name of the medication, dosage, and number of days it is required.
For more information regarding medication at school, please review the Student Handbook.
CONTAGIOUS CONDITIONS
To protect other students from contagious illnesses, students infected with certain diseases are not allowed to come to school while contagious. If a parent suspects that his or her child has a contagious disease, the parent should contact the school nurse or principal so that other students who might have been exposed to the disease can be alerted.
A student is excluded from school if illness is evidenced by a temperature elevation of 100 degrees F or above. A temperature must remain within normal range for 24 hours, without analgesic medication, before the student returns to school.
A student with symptoms of vomiting and/or diarrhea is excluded from school until the condition subsides.
HEAD LICE INFORMATION
To help prevent the occurrence of head lice in your home, below is a list of what to look for, how to prevent catching lice, and how to treat if infected.
FACTS:
- Head lice crawl from child to child through head to head contact.
- Lice cannot hop, jump or fly.
- ANY child can get head lice.
- Lice can live up to 30 days on a person’s head and lay from 50 to 150 eggs. If the louse falls off a person, it dies within 2 days.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR:
Lice are small brown, tan to grayish-white insects, about the size of a sesame seed.
The nits or egg sacks are opaque, white oblong-shaped sacks which are firmly attached to the hair shaft. These nits cannot be brushed out. They can only be manually removed with a nit comb or pulled out by hand.
Suspect lice if your child scratches and/or complains of an itchy head. Itching is the first sign of head lice.
Check the hair and scalp very carefully especially behind the ears and near the neckline. The best method is to use a magnifying glass under a bright light.
HOW TO TREAT IF INFECTED:
- Wash your child’s hair with a product formulated to kill lice.
- Have your child sit under a bright light and remove all nits with a metal comb that is designed to remove nits. Remove remaining nits with your fingernails. Failure to do this important step always results in reoccurrence.
- Nits are not killed by lice shampoos, so it will be necessary to wash the hair with the lice product a second time in 7 to 10 days to kill any newly hatched lice.
- Launder all clothing and bedding. Laundry water should be at least 130 degrees Fahrenheit to kill the lice. Dry on highest heat setting.
- Vacuum all carpets, upholstery and mattresses in the house. Throw away the vacuum bag.
- Sealing clothing, stuffed toys, pillows, blankets or other small soft items, for two weeks in tightly closed plastic bags will kill both lice and nits. Dry cleaning will also kill lice.
- Soak combs, brushes and other washable items for one hour in one of the approved lice shampoos; or, soak them for 5 to 10 minutes in a pan of 130 degree hot water.
PROACTIVE MEASURES:
SCHOOL PROCEDURES:
When a student is found to have head lice, parents will be called to pick student up and the nurse will give parent information regarding treatment.
Students in the child's classroom, along with any siblings, will be checked for lice.
Students may return to the school nurse once nits are removed.
The school nurse will check students before they are allowed to return to class.
For more information regarding health related matters, please review the Student Handbook.
