STUDENT HEALTH SERVICES

The Board of Education recognizes that good student health is vital to successful learning and realizes its responsibility, along with that of parents) or guardian(s), to protect and foster a safe and healthful environment for students.

The school shall work closely with students' families to provide preventive health services. In accordance with law, the school will provide vision, hearing, and scoliosis screening. Problems shall be referred to the parent(s) or guardian(s) who shall be encouraged to have their family health care provider provide appropriate care.

Schools shall also provide emergency care for students in accidental or unexpected medical situations.

In accordance with Section 903 of the State Education Law, each student shall have a physical exam given by the school doctor or family physician upon entrance to school and at grades 1,3J and 10. Findings are to be kept at the school on forms that can be obtained from the school nurse.

It is the responsibility of the Board to provide all students with a safe and healthy school environment. To meet this responsibility, it is sometimes necessary to exclude students with contagious and infectious diseases, as defined in the Public Health Law, from attendance in school.

It is the responsibility of the Superintendent of Schools, working through district health personnel, to enforce this policy and to contact the county or local health department when a reportable case of a communicable disease is identified in the student or staff population.

Neither the Board nor district staff members shall be responsible for the diagnosis and/or treatment of student illness. The administration of prescribed medication to a student during school hours shall be permitted only when failure to take such medicine would jeopardize the health of the student, or the student would not be able to attend school if the medicine were not made available to him/her during school hours, or where it is done pursuant to law requiring accommodation to a student's special medical needs (e.g., Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973). "Medication" will include all medicines prescribed by a physician.

Before any medication may be administered to or by any student during school hours, the Board requires:

1. the written request of the parent(s) or guardian(s), which shall give permission for such administration and relieve the Board and its employees of liability for administration of medication; and
2. the written order of the prescribing health care provider, which will include the purpose of the medication, the dosage, the time at which or the special circumstances under which medication shall be administered, the period for which medication is prescribed, and the possible side effects of the medication.

Both documents shall be kept on file in the office of the school nurse.

The Superintendent shall develop comprehensive regulations governing student health services. Those regulations shall include the provision of all health services required by law, procedures for the maintenance of health records, and procedures for the administration of medication to students.

Ref: Education Law § 310 (provisions for appeal of child denied school entrance for failure to comply with immunization requirements); 901 et seq. (medical and health services); 6909 (emergency treatment of anaphylaxis) Public Health Law § 613 (annual survey); 2164 (immunization requirements) 8 NYCRR § 64.7 (administration of agents to treat anaphylaxis); Part 136 (school health services program)

Administration of Medication in the School Setting Guidelines. State Education Department, revised April 2002

Immunization Guidelines: Vaccine Preventable Communicable Disease Control, State Education Department, revised August 2000 School Executive's Bulletin June/July 2002, Office of Elementary, Middle and Secondary Education, State Education Department