Westwood Public Schools Health Services are provided during regular school hours by Registered Nurses under the supervision of the school physician. Each school has a full-time nurse. The mission of Health Services is to promote health, safety and wellness so all children can achieve academic success. The nurses are responsible for immunization compliance, health care planning for students with medical needs, educating staff about health care issues affecting student performance, and providing emergency and advisory care to students.
Forms
Communicable Diseases and Returning to School
Parents are often faced with a decision: should they keep their sick child at home or send him/her to school? Often, they way your child looks or behaves can influence your decision. The guidelines below should be considered when trying to decide. A sick child cannot effectively learn and is unable to participate in class in a meaningful way. Keeping a sick child at home helps prevent the spread of illness in the school community and allows the child an opportunity to rest and recover. Please contact the school nurse with any questions.
Chicken Pox/Shingles: Notify the school nurse immediately if your child has been diagnosed of having either of these conditions. There are Massachusetts Department of Public Health guidelines that govern your child’s return to school.
Conjunctivitis: Students may return to school 24 hours after medication has started and there is no drainage from the eyes.
Fever: After having a fever, students may attend school if their temperature is under 100° and they have not taken medication to reduce the fever. Fevers that are associated with a virus are lowest in the morning. If your child has a fever in the evening or during the night, he/she should not attend school the next day. Students must be fever-free for twenty-four hours before returning to school.
Fifth Disease: No isolation period. Please notify the school nurse if it is suspected or diagnosed.
Mononucleosis: No isolation period. Please notify the school nurse if it is suspected or diagnosed.
Pediculosis (Head Lice): This is an easily-transmitted condition and treatment is important. Students must be examined by the school nurse before returning to school.
Strep Throat: Students may return to school 24 to 48 hours after starting medication.
Vomiting/Diarrhea: Students must be symptom-free and able to keep food down for at least twelve hours before turning to school.
Emergency Contact Information
Health Insurance
In Massachusetts, it is mandatory to have health insurance. Please contact the school nurse if your child does not have health insurance. All inquiries are confidential.
The Massachusetts Health Connector is an independent state agency that helps determine an insurance plan that is right for you.
Massachusetts also offers low-cost insurance for all children under eighteen called The Children’s Medical Security Plan.
Home & Hospital Tutoring
Students are eligible for home/hospital tutoring after a 14 day absence due to medical reasons. Parents should provide written documentation from the student’s physician to document the illness and provide a projected date to return to school in order to initiate home/hospital tutoring. Click here for the link to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MADESE) Physician's Statement form. Please note that the Physician must include a clear diagnosis and impact on learning statement, indicate if the absence from school will be intermittent or consecutive, and provide an anticipated date of return for this form to be valid.
Medications at School
All medications that a student takes during the school day must be administered by the school nurse according to the following guidelines:
A Medication Procedure and Consent must be completed, signed and on-file in the school nurse’s office before any medication can be dispensed. These forms must be renewed each school year. Please include a small photograph of your child for identification. This includes Benadryl and EpiPens for severe allergies, inhalers, and over-the-counter medication.
No medication is provided by the Westwood Public Schools.
For short-term prescriptions (10 days or fewer), we accept medication in a pharmacy-labeled container in lieu of a Medication Procedure. The Parent Consent portion of the form, however is still required.
Over-the-counter medication (i.e., Tylenol, Motrin) cannot be given without a signed Medication Procedure and Consent Form.
A student may carry an inhaler if they have demonstrated in self-administration and a signed Medication Procedure and Consent Form are on-file in the nurse’s office.
All medication should be delivered to the nurse’s office by a responsible person. Any controlled substance (i.e., Adderall or Ritalin) must be given directly to the school nurse. Medication will only be accepted in a correctly-labeled pharmacy of factory container.
No more than a thirty day supply of medication should be delivered to school.
All medication must be picked-up by the last day of school. Any medication not picked-up will be destroyed.
Middle and High School students who plan to carry their own inhalers, over-the-counter medication, or prescribed medications should contact the school nurse.
Physical Examinations
All students in grades 3, 6, and 9 are required to provide written documentation of a physical examination completed by their physician. If this information is not provided by February 1 of that school year, the student will not be allowed to attend school until written confirmation is received.
Interscholastic Sports
Written documentation of a current physical exam is required for participation in interscholastic sports at the middle and high schools. A physical exam is current for thirteen months from the date it is completed. Students may not participate in a sport until a current physical is on-file in the school nurse’s office and the student has registered for sports.
Role of the School Nurse
School nurses provide wellness, advisory, and emergency care only; it is not a diagnostic clinic. After first aid has been administered, parents are responsible for contacting their physician for diagnosis and treatment. The following are health services provided by the school nurse:
- Immunization surveillance
- Mandated health screenings
- Basic first aid
- Medication administration
- Health education/resource
- Skilled nursing care and management of students with special health care needs
- Referral for health care and health insurance
- Consultant for student health issues
- Health assessments for special education evaluations
- Liaison between home, school, and community resources
Screenings
The school nurse, in compliance with Massachusetts Department of Public Health guidelines, will perform the following screenings:
Hearing: Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 7, and Grade 10
Height, Weight, and Body Mass Index (BMI): Grade 1, Grade 4, Grade 7, and Grade 10
Scoliosis: Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8, and Grade 9
Vision: Preschool (if not completed by physician), Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 7, and Grade 10.
Please notify the school nurse is you do not want your child to be screened.
Students with Special Medical Conditions
Please contact the school nurse as son as possible if your child has a special medical condition (e.g., diabetes, life-threatening food allergy, seizures). In order to create a safe environment for your child, the school nurse will meet with you and make an Individualized Health Plan if needed. This written plan includes input from the parent, school nurse, and the child’s physician. This plan will then be put into place to make others in the school aware of your child’s medical condition and how to respond to it.
