Student Support Services

Health Services - Parent Information

Immunization Requirements

According to State law, all students must be in compliance with state immunization requirements, be in the process of receiving the immunization series, or meet exemption criteria before starting school. Exemptions are permitted for medical reasons or due to the conscientiously held beliefs of the parent/guardian. Student immunization data is shared with ImmuLink, the Hennepin County immunization registry. This secure computerized registry makes immunization data available to schools and physicians. Parents may opt not to participate in the registry by calling (612) 676-5100 or their school health office for more information.

A chart of vaccinations that are required or recommended for K-12 students is listed below. Find your child's age or grade level and read across to the right. Have they had the number of shots shown by the checkmark(s)? Each row is meant to be read separately, so don't add up the columns of checkmarks under each vaccine.

Vaccine ®

¯ Grade and/or Age

DTP

diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough)

Polio

(OPV and/or IPV)

MMR

measles, mumps, rubella

Hepatitis B

Varicella

chicken pox

Kindergarten

5 th shot not needed if 4 th was after

age 4)

(4 th polio not needed if 3 rd was after age 4)

Age 7 through 6 th grade

at least

7 th through 12 th grade

at least

AND one Td shot at age 11 or older*

at least

(required for 7 th grade starting in the fall of 2001; recommended for grades 8-12)

*unless a Td was given after the 7th birthday; then it must be repeated 10 years after the last dose

For Free Immunization Opportunities Click Here

Emergency Form

A completed emergency form is requested every fall for each student for the purpose of having current information on file when it is necessary to contact you. The emergency and health information on the form is available to school staff as necessary, to work with your student. Accurate and up-to-date information makes it possible for school personnel to provide proper emergency care according to your wishes. Should your telephone number or place of residence change during the school year, be sure to notify the office staff at your student's school.

In case of a medical emergency or illness, school personnel will attempt to notify you immediately. It is your responsibility to make arrangements for the proper care and transportation of your child if he/she should meet with an accident or become too ill to remain in school. These arrangements include designating friends or relatives who would be available to pick up and care for your child in the event we are unable to reach you. Including their names on the emergency form allows us to contact them and release your student to their care. If the emergency is an urgent nature, school staff will call 911. A copy of the emergency form will be given to the ambulance attendant.

Excuse from Physical Education/Recess

Please send a request to the teacher if your child needs to be excused from physical education. Written instructions are required from the student's physician if the student is to be excused for more than two days, and must include a re-entry date.

Medications Policy

Diagnosis, treatment of illness, or prescribing drugs and medications are never responsibilities of a school and should not be practiced by any school personnel. School personnel will dispense only medications that have been prescribed by a physician. When possible, medication doses should be given at home to avoid interruptions in the school day. If medication is needed during the school day, the policy is as follows:

Parents/guardians must inform the building nurse when a pupil requires medications during the school day. Students observed by school personnel self-administering unauthorized medications shall be reported to their parents/guardians.

A written statement is required from the parent/guardian and physician authorizing the administration of all medications thereby releasing school personnel from liability should reactions result from the medication. The written statement must include the student's name, diagnosis, name of medication, dose, time to be given, and signatures of parent/guardian and physician. Forms are available from the Health Office, or on Website.

Medication must be provided in pharmacy labeled containers that indicate pharmacy name and telephone number, student's name, physician, name and dosage of medication. The pharmacy shall be requested to split medication into duplicate bottles if it is necessary to give medication during school hours. One bottle will be kept at home and the other at school under the care of school authorities.

The building nurse will administer prescribed medication. In the absence of the nurse, the medication will be dispensed by a designee named by the Principal in consultation with the building nurse. Students will be allowed to carry and self-administer medications only with a physician's and parent's written permission, in cases of potential emergency.

Tylenol or other over-the-counter medicines will be administered to students only with a physician's written order in addition to the parent authorization as required above. Such over-the-counter medication must be in the original container. (elementary students)

Illness

Children should not be in school if they have a temperature of 100 degrees or above. Children who have a contagious illness or are experiencing vomiting, diarrhea or other symptoms of illness that may prohibit active participation in school routines should not be in school until appropriate treatment is secured. Students should be free of elevated temperature, vomiting, and diarrhea symptoms for 24 hours prior to their return to school.

If a student has contracted a contagious disease and a doctor has confirmed it, please inform the student's teacher. Parents of other students may then be cautioned to watch for signs of the disease and help prevent its spread throughout the classroom.

If a student develops a temperature of 100 or above and/or shows other symptoms of illness, parents will be contacted to pick him/her up. If the parent/guardian cannot be reached, information on the emergency card will be used.

Make-Up Work. . . When Your Child Is Ill

When your child is absent from school, we know that both parent and child frequently worry about "work missed." Elementary staff personnel feel that the majority of the student's energies should be spent on getting well. However, if you decide after several days of illness that your child is able to do school work, contact your school office. Keep in mind that homework will only be given for concepts already taught (not future work) and that assignments may be modified for absent children.

All work assigned should be completed and returned in a reasonable length of time after the child returns to school.

Health Screenings

Vision testing will be done for students in grades 1, 3, 4 and 5. Students in grades 1, 3 and 5 will receive a hearing screening. Males in grade 1 will be screened for color vision.

Please inform us if your child has special health problems so we may plan a program accordingly. In like manner, we will inform individual families of any new health problem we detect. School administrative and health service staff are available to anyone who feels they would like to discuss any particular health problem that affects a student's well being.

Physical Examinations

Physical examinations are encouraged, although not required, on a regular basis. While we recommend that you follow your physician's exam schedule, we routinely send forms before kindergarten and at the end of 3rd and 6th grade.

Section 504

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination against handicapped persons by organizations receiving federal assistance. Included in the regulation is the requirement that handicapped students be provided with a "free appropriate public education" (FAPE). These regulations require identification, evaluation, provision of appropriate service, and procedural safeguards in all public schools. Individuals who have been determined to be handicapped under Section 504 may or may not be disabled under special education (IDEA).

Section 504 services could apply to any school age child who, has had a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits a major life activity. Major life activities include walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, working, caring for oneself and performing manual tasks.

Parents who have concerns or questions regarding 504 services should contact the building principal.

Special Health Care Needs

ISD 279 works to make appropriate plans for those students with special health care needs. The primary responsibility for a student's health care rests with the parent/guardian. School health service is supportive health care that enables education of the student in a safe manner. A student with a "special health care need" is one with a chronic health problem that requires specialized health support beyond routine medication administration during the school day in order to attend school. These students may or may not require special education.

Special Health Needs Procedure

Students with special health care needs must be identified and appropriate initial plans developed before attendance at any district building. A team meeting that includes parents/guardians, student (if reasonable), building nurse, appropriate teacher, and others as directed by the principal shall be held for the purpose of:
establishing the needs and the plan of care (Individualized Healthcare Plan);
initiating the 504 or IEP process, if indicated.
If a parent's request for service does not match the team's expectation of required care or is considered not to be a school health service, an independent evaluation by a neutral physician may be required and paid for by the school district.
Provision of direct health care procedures (g-tube feedings, catheterization, etc.) beyond medication administration shall be authorized by physician order and parent/guardian signature. Orders must be renewed at least yearly or at the time of any changes in the procedure.
The building nurse will be responsible for the case management of all special health needs. The building nurse may delegate health care in accordance with the Minnesota Nurse Practice Act when necessary. A regular documented program of training and supervision of appropriate teachers and other involved school personnel will be required.
An Individualized Healthcare Plan (IHP) shall document the student's health concern/need, plan of care, and goals/desired outcomes. The IHP should also include an emergency plan if a student's condition may predictably result in an emergency situation. The IHP is the result of the initial team conference. It is written by the Registered Nurse, and is filed in the student's health folder.
Information regarding a student's health needs shall be shared with those personnel who need to know in order to work with that student. This information shall be considered private in accordance with Federal and State data practices law.
The provision of special health care will be done in a manner that will protect privacy, promote developmentally appropriate student independence and minimize interruption to the education of the individual student and other students in the classroom. The location of services will be determined on an individual basis with the previous factors, safety and classroom needs in mind.
Equipment requirements particular to the needs of a given student and beyond that routinely used for the general health needs of students will be supplied and maintained by the student/family. Students with tracheostomies must have an emergency kit with them at all times.
Requests for health service while off school grounds (during the school day for school related activities) will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the Health Service Coordinator. An invitation may be extended to the parents to attend and provide for their student's unique health needs. In the absence of parent help, a plan will be made to accommodate students with special health needs.

Reporting Absences

Parents are asked to notify the school office when students are going to be absent. This should be done before 9:00 a.m. on the day of the absence. Parents with a touch tone telephone are encouraged to use the voice mail to report their student's absence.

Call your school's voice mail (763 area code) listed below and follow the instructions on the recording.

Basswood

494-3858

Fernbrook

420-8888

Weaver Lake

420-3337

Brooklyn Jr. High

569-7616

Maple Grove Sr. High

391-8901(A-K)
391-8700 (L-Z)

Birch Grove

561-1374

Garden City

549-2363

Woodland

315-6408

Osseo Jr. High

391-7280

Osseo Sr. High

391-8512

Cedar Island

425-7855

Oak View

391-7246

Zanewood

549-2436

Maple Grove Jr. High

315-7603

Park Center Sr. High

569-7611
569-7612

Crest View

561-5165

Park Brook

549-2408

North View Jr. High

585-7212

Elm Creek

315-7692

Palmer Lake

549-2401

Edinbrook

493-4737

Rice Lake

315-7372

Osseo Area Learning Center

391-8890

ECSE-ARB

391-8786

Fair Oaks

549-2352

Rush Creek

391-7257

Osseo

Sec. Trans. Center

315-7470

DISEASES/COMMON CONCERNS PARENTS HAVE ABOUT THEIR SCHOOL-AGE CHILD

DISEASE	SYMPTOMS	INCUBA- TION PERIOD	SCHOOL ACTION AND COMMENTS ON COMMUNICABILITY	MODE OF TRANSMISSION
Chicken Pox	Slight fever, general feeling of illness, rash resembling water blister usually appearing 2-3 days after illness begins. Scabs appear later	13-21 days	Exclude until day 6 after the rash begins or sooner if all the blisters have dried into scabs. Contagious approximately 1-2 days before rash begins and not more than 5 days after the appearance of the first blisters.	Virus spread directly from person through discharge from nose and mouth. Also by discharges from the skin and mucous membranes of infected person.
Common Cold	Acute upper respiratory signs including watery eyes, sneezing, runny nose, general feeling of illness	12 hours to 3 days	No restrictions unless ill. Communicable 24 hours before onset and for 5 days after nasal involvement.	Virus spread directly through coughing, sneezing, and explosive manner of speech in which droplets are cast. Also, indirectly through articles freshly soiled by discharge of infected person.
Influenza	Chills, body aches, headache, fever, sore throat, followed by cough, runny nose, and possibly stomach ache.	24-72 hours	Exclude from school until clinically well; usually 2-7 days.	Virus spread directly through coughing, sneezing, and contact with nose or throat discharges of patient. Possibly airborne.
Impetigo	Blisters or pustules rapidly covered with honey-colored crusts. May be confused with cold sores.	1-6 days	Exclude from school until 24 hours after antibiotic treatment has been started.	Bacteria is spread by direct contact with persons or with articles freshly soiled with discharges from nose or throat of patient. Airborne transmission also occurs.
Head Lice	Infestation of the head hair. Watch for persistent itching, scratches, or scalp rash. Look for small silvery egg cases (nits) stuck to hair follicle, usually close to scalp at neckline and/or behind ears.	Variable. Eggs hatch in 1 week	Exclude from school until first treatment is completed and no live lice are seen. Nit removal is critical to successful treatment. Examine all members of household for nits and lice. When appropriate, school may exclude until all nits are removed.	Louse transmitted primarily by direct contact with infested person. Lice can also be transmitted through combs, brushes, bedding, and wearing apparel.
Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis)	Redness of conjunctiva. May or may not have purulent discharge. Eyes may itch and be painful with smarting or burning sensation.	24-72 hours	Refer for medical treatment. Exclude from school until 24 hours after treatment begins for bacterial conjunctivitis.	Spread through hand-eye contact. It may be either viral or bacterial.
Reye's Syndrome	Sudden onset of violent vomiting, mental confusion, extreme sleepiness, very fatigued, twitching or jerking movements, hostility, coma.	1-7 days following viral infection, such as cold, flu	If one or more symptoms appear, call physician immediately. Go to emergency room of hospital. Do not give aspirin or aspirin substitutes. Exclude from school until clinically well.	Usually follows viral infection. It is not contagious; cause is unknown. No prevention. Requires immediate attention at onset of symptoms.
Scabies	Itching, scratch marks, or wavy, threadlike burrows. Common sites are webs of the fingers, wrists, elbows, knees, armpits and the waist area. Scratching may cause secondary infections or rash.	Days to weeks	Medical treatment must be given to eliminate the infection. Exclude from school 24 hours after treatment begins. Family should be examined.	Mite is transferred by direct contact with an infected person, and to a limited extent, undergarments, or soiled sheets freshly contaminated by an infected person.
Scarlet Fever (Scarlatina)	Vomiting, fever, sore throat, chills, and a fine red rash usually on upper chest and back. Symptoms appear 2-7 days after exposure.	2-5 days	Exclude from school until child has been on medication for 24 hours and until the child is without fever for 24 hours.	Bacteria spread directly from nose and throat discharges of infected person.
Strep Throat	Fever, sore throat, headache, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes the streptococcal rash called Scarlet Fever.	2-5 days	Exclude from school until results of throat culture are known. If positive for strep, exclude from school until 24 hours after antibiotic treatment has been started and until the child is without fever for 24 hours.	Bacteria spread directly from nose and throat discharges of infected persons.