Pennsylvania School Immunization Requirements The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has minimum immunization requirements for all students. The Pennsylvania Department of Health states that for attendance in all grades, children need the following: 4 doses of tetanus * (1 dose on or after the 4 th birthday) 4 doses of diphtheria * (1 dose on or after the 4 th birthday) 3 doses of polio 2 doses of measles** 2 doses of mumps** 1 dose of rubella (German measles)** 3 doses of hepatitis B 2 doses of varicella (chickenpox) vaccine or history of disease *Usually given as DTP or DTap or DT or TD **Usually given as MMR Children Attending 7 th grade need the following: 1 dose tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis (Tdap) 1 dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV) These requirements allow for the following exemptions: Medical reason or Religious beliefs. Written exemption must be on file in student s health record. Your child may be excluded from school if the immunization information or a wavier are not provided to the school. All students must have the Tdap and MCV vaccinations, these were a requirement when they entered 7 th grade. If your child needs these or additional vaccines in order to be compliant, they can be obtained through your private health care provider, clinics, or local Department of Health.
Mandated Health Screenings Students will undergo a number of health screening throughout the school year including: Height, Weight, and BMI Hearing Physical Exam Vision 9, 10, 11, 12 grades 11 th grade 11 th grade 9, 10, 11, 12 grades
HEALTH ROOM POLICIES To assist in maintaining a health learning environment, please DO NOT send your child to school if he/she appears ill in the morning with a fever of 100 degrees F or more, if they have a moderate to severe headache, a cough that kept your child up during the night, severe pain in the ear, stomach or any other pain that stops your child from doing activities of daily living, an unexplained rash, eye discharge, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea that has occurred in the morning or during the previous evening or night. If your child is sent home ill from school, they must be without fever, vomiting, or diarrhea for 24 hours without medication to return to school. If they are placed on an antibiotic for an illness, they must be on that antibiotic for 24 hours prior to returning to school. If your child has Chicken Pox, they must stay home for at least 6 days after the last vesicle appears. Never give your child aspirin. There are some thing we do not typically send students home for: A mild cold, is not a good reason to miss school. Girls with menstrual cramps are offered heating pads and may take medication if the medication form has been returned to the school nurse s office. If your daughter has menstrual cramps so severe that she cannot attend school, you should have her seen by your health care provider. Feeling tired is not a reason to go home unless there are measurable signs of illness. If your child has head lice you will be notified to pick your child up from school. Children must be treated with an appropriate lice shampoo before returning to school. Lice and nits are to be removed as part of the treatment. With certain lice products a second treatment is recommended 7-10 days after the initial treatment. Lice appear to look like brownish colored insects and are very small, less than 1/8 inch long. The eggs or nits are gray or white in color and are about the size of a sesame seed. Removing the nits is a very important part of the treatment for controlling head lice. The nits are glued onto the hair shaft as they are laid and require effort to remove. To remove the nits, use a metal nit comb, pet flea comb, or your fingernails to slide the eggs off the hair shaft, or use scissors to cut the hair shafts that have nits on them. Continue checking the child s head and combing their hair daily for 2 weeks. All nits need to be removed. If not, your child may get an active case of head lice again. Home care will need to be completed. For directions on how to control the spread of lice at home, visit www.cdc.gov/lice/head. At the beginning of every school year, an Emergency Contact Information form and Student Health Update-Medical Condition form must be filled out and returned to the school nurse prior to the start of each school year. Please include several contacts on the Emergency Contact Information form, so that if your child becomes ill or injured, we are able to contact you or someone that you designate. If the Student Health Update-Medical Condition form is not filled out and returned to the school nurse each school year, we will assume that your child does not suffer from any medical conditions or allergies. Students must have a School Health Record on file. In order for your student s previous school to send School Health Records to Charter Arts, you must officially withdraw from your previous school.
Please contact the Health Room of your child s previous school to determine their policy for record transfer. If your child needs medical insurance, Pennsylvania s Children s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) may be able to help. The CHIP program provides health insurance to all uninsured children and teens, up to age 19, who are not eligible for or enrolled in Medical Assistance. For further information, contact the school nurse or visit CHIPcoversPAkids.com. MEDICATION POLICY It is recommended that students refrain from taking prescription and over-the-counter medications to school unless it is absolutely necessary during school hours. If your child should need to receive medication during the school day for control of a medical condition, the Authorization for Prescription Medication Administration During School Hours form must be completed. If your child should need to take medication while in school, the procedure is as follows: 1. An Authorization for Prescription Medication Administration During School Hours form is required to be signed from the physician/health care provider that prescribed the medication. The parent/guardian must also sign this form. One form is required for each medication, this includes any over-the-counter medication (other than school standing orders), asthma inhalers, and epi-pens. This form must include the name of the medication, the dose, the time it is to be taken, how it is to be administered, and any possible reactions or side effects. 2. If the student is prescribed an asthma inhaler or epi-pen and is allowed to carry and self-administer the medication, the physician/health care provider and parent/guardian must initial and date the form in the appropriate space. 3. Medication authorization forms are only good for one school year. A new form must be on file at the start of a new school year. If there are any changes in dose or time of medication during the school year, a new form will be required. 4. All medication must be brought to the school nurse by a parent/guardian in the original pharmacy container. The medication cannot be dropped off at the main office. The container must be labeled with the student s name, physician s name, name of medication, dose of medication, and time medication is to be given. Prescription medication must be counted with the parent/school nurse together and the parent/guardian will sign-in the medication. If this procedure is not followed, the medication will not be given. Do not send medication to school with your child. If your child brings medication to school, the medication will not be given. 5. Students are required to come to the school nurses office to take their medication at the required time without prompting. 6. If a medication is required on a field trip, please contact the school nurse prior to the field trip so a plan of administering your child s medication can be developed. If your child has an asthma inhaler or an epi-pen and self carry the medication, they are responsible for having their medication on their person at all times. School nurses do not accompany any students on field trips. 7. If your child remains in school for after school activities or for evening performances/practices, and has an asthma inhaler or epi-pen, they must have these medications on their person at all times. Please make sure the self-carry portion of the form is initialed by the physician/health care provider and the parent/guardian.
8. Any medication remaining at the school after the last day of school in June will be destroyed. A parent/guardian must come to the school to pick up any medication on the last day of school. If your child should need over-the-counter medication during the school day, the school nurse may dispense certain medications that the Charter Arts School Nurse Practitioner has written a standing order for. These medications are listed on the Authorization For Over-The-Counter Medication Administration During School Hours form. This form must be completed and signed by a parent/guardian every school year in order for your child to receive these medications while they are in school. Over-the-counter medications may be dispensed for minor discomforts including, but not limited to, muscle aches, menstrual pain, headaches, dental pain, skin irritations, minor cuts or injuries. See complete list of approved over-the-counter medications on form. If your child repeatedly requests pain relieving medication, we will contact you with a request that the child receive a medical evaluation by their physician/health care provider. Nursing personnel reserve the right to refuse to provide a medication based upon individual assessment of the student. If your child would need to take over-the-counter medications that are not listed on the authorization form, you must have an Authorization For Prescription Medication Administration During School Hours form filled out and signed by a physician/health care provider and parent/guardian (Example: Excedrin Migraine). Other than specifically approved emergency medications (asthma inhalers, diabetic medicine, and epi-pens), NO STUDENT WILL BE PERMITED TO BE IN POSSESSION OF ANY MEDICATIONS, INCLUDING OVER-THE-COUNTER PRODUCTS, HERBAL OR HOMEOPATHIC MEDICATIONS. This includes the ice rink and dance areas. Any student found in possession of any medication will be referred to the Dean of Student Services. Possession, use, or distribution of ANY medication will be cause for the student to be charged under the Charter Arts Drug and Alcohol Policy. At any time, a parent may come to the school and administer their child s medication without a doctor s note. Any questions or concerns about students receiving medication in school, please contact the school nurse.
SEVERE FOOD ALLERGY POLICY Food allergies can be life threatening. The risk of accidental exposure to foods can be reduced in the school setting if schools work with students, parents, and physicians to minimize risks and provide a safe educational environment for food-allergic students. Family s Responsibility 1. Notify the school of the child s allergies. 2. Work with school staff to develop a Food Allergy Action Plan. The Food Allergy Action Plan can be obtained from the school nurse. 3. Provide written medical documentation, instructions, and medication as directed by a physician, using the Food Allergy Action Plan as a guide. Include a photo of the child on the Food Allergy Action Plan. The Food Allergy Action Plan needs to be signed by the physician prescribing the epi-pen and by the parent. An Authorization For Prescription Medication Administration During School Hours form needs to be filled out and signed by the child s physician and parent. Initial the appropriate space for the child to carry their epi-pen on their person at all times. (Epi-pen should be in purse or backpack). 4. Provide properly labeled medications and replace medications after use or upon expiration. 5. Educate the child in the self-management of their food allergy including: Safe and unsafe foods Strategies for avoiding exposure to unsafe foods Symptoms of allergic reactions How and when to tell an adult they may be having an allergy-related problem (if the child is feeling like they might be having an allergic reaction, the child should get their epi-pen from their purse/backpack and bring it to an adult if they are unsure if or how to self-administer) How to read food labels 6. Review policies/procedures with the school staff, the child s physician, and the child after a reaction has occurred. 7. Provide emergency contact information.
School s Responsibility 1. Review health records submitted by parents and physicians. 2. Don t exclude food allergic students in school activities solely based on their food allergy. 3. Assure that staff who interact with the student on a regular basis understand the food allergy, can recognize symptoms and know what to do in an emergency. 4. Designate school personnel who are properly trained to administer medications in accordance with the Pennsylvania State Nursing and Good Samaritan Laws governing the administration of emergency medications. 5. Students will be allowed to carry their own epinephrine, if age appropriate after approval from the students physician, parent, and school nurse. 6. Follow federal/state laws and regulations regarding sharing medical information about the student. 7. Take threats or harassments against a food allergic child seriously. 8. Regardless of the allergy, the school will not support a complete ban of specific foods that may contribute to the student s allergy. Student s Responsibility 1. Should not trade food with others. 2. Should not eat anything with unknown ingredients or known to contain any allergen. 3. Should be proactive in the care and management of their food allergies and reactions based on their development level. 4. Should notify an adult immediately if they eat something they believe many contain the food to which they are allergic. 5. Should carry their epinephrine at all times, including on field trips, after-school activities, and evening performances/practices. This policy is based on standards recommended by The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network s (FAAN) School Food Allergy Program. The School Food Allergy Program has been endorsed and or supported by the Anaphylaxis Committee of the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, the National Association of School Nurses, and the Executive Committee of the Section on Allergy and Immunology of the American Academy of Pediatrics.