MISD Nurse

Dear Parents/Guardians,

The primary goal of Marion ISD Health Services is to maximize each child’s potential for growth and development as well to ensure the safety and physical well-being of your child while on campus. Please be observant of the MISD Health Services Handbook in order to provide the safest environment possible for your child. The school appreciates your understanding and assistance in these matters.

Thank You,

Gayle Wilson
School Nurse

Gayle Wilson

School Nurse

Medications should be given at home when possible. The district will not purchase medication to give to a student.

Authorized employees of the district may administer medications under these circumstances:

Prescription medication, in the original, properly labeled container, provided by the parent/guardian, properly filled out medication authorization form provided by the school nurse
Non-prescription medication, in the original, properly labeled, unopened container, provided by the parent/guardian, with properly filled out medication authorization form provided by the school nurse
FDA-approved herbal substances or dietary supplements provided by the parent/guardian only if required by the student’s individualized education program (IEP), Individual Healthcare Plan (IHP), or Section 504 plan for a student with disabilities, properly filled out medication authorization form from the school nurse

Parent/guardian must fill out the medication authorization form available from the school nurse in order for any medication to be administered at school. Over the counter medication taken longer than 5 consecutive days requires a physician order/signature (including cough drops). Herbal supplements, vitamins, essential oils, sunscreen, and bug spray will not be administered to students by the nurse or any staff member. If bug spray or sunscreen is needed, please apply at home before school. A physician signature is required for any exception to district rules.

Student cannot transport medication back and forth to school due to an increased potential for its misuse while in the student’s possession. A responsible adult must bring all medications to the clinic. If this presents difficulties for you, please contact the school nurse with a plan for alternate arrangements in transportation of your child’s medication. If a student brings medication to school, the medication will not be administered and the parent will be contacted to arrange for pickup of the medication. Over the counter medication will not be given longer than five consecutive days without a physician order/signature. When prescription medications are empty, the empty labeled container will be sent home with the student. At the end of the school year a letter will be sent informing parent/guardian to pick up medications by the last day of school. Any medications (prescription or over the counter) that are not picked up at the end of the school year will be discarded by the school nurse. Medications cannot be left over the summer to be given next year.

Students who suffer from asthma, diabetes, or severe allergic reactions who have written permission from parent/guardian and the physician or licensed health care provider may be permitted to possess and administer prescribed medications at school or school-related events.

Medication Authorization Form

If your child is sent home from school with a fever (temperature of 100 degrees or higher), diarrhea, vomiting, or other viral/flu like symptoms, it is requested that the child remain home from school for 24 hours after symptoms have resolved (with the use of medication). This may help prevent your child’s illness from making other children ill. A student with pink eye may return to school after any prescribed therapy is implemented, except when accompanied with another systemic illness. Students with bacterial or viral conjunctivitis should remain home if their behavior is such that they cannot avoid close contact with other students. Students with allergic conjunctivitis are not contagious and may remain in school.

Please make sure each year you submit the current year health form that is provided at the beginning of the year. This keeps the school nurse updated on your students important health needs, allergies, and emergency contacts. If your student is diagnosed with asthma, seizures, allergy/anaphylaxis, or diabetes it is requested that you have an action plan updated at the beginning of each school year, these should be filled out by your student’s physician or health care provider, and forms are available with the school nurse. All medications (prescription/over the counter) require a medication authorization form to be filled out by the parent/guardian at the time medication is dropped off. Medications will not be accepted or administered without this form filled out-form available with the school nurse. If your student has food allergies or needs food accommodations due to allergy a food allergy form should be filled out and signed by the physician, this will be sent to the schools nutrition coordinator.

The thought of lice makes everyone’s head itch!No one chooses to have lice in their hair, their child’s hair or in their home.Lice, however,arenotresponsible for the spread of any diseases,theyare simply a nuisance.Many schools in the past have had “no nit policies”. Evidence-based research has shown that these policies are not effective in controlling the spread of lice in schools.In fact, they do more harm than good by keeping students out of school for prolonged periods of time. If careful observation indicates that a student has head lice, the school nurse will contact the student’s parent to determine whether the child will need to be picked up from school and to discuss a plan for treatment.

Some facts about lice:Lice cannot hop, jump or fly.They move from person to person through close body contact.Live lice need warmth and blood supply to live.When a live bug leaves a person, they cannot survive more than 48 hours.Live lice and nits do not carry diseases.Research has shown that lice are not usually identified until the person has had lice for 3-4 weeks in most cases.

There are a variety of treatments available for lice.Nix and Rid are common over the counter treatments available at most pharmacies.There are also several alternative, nonchemical treatments.Your school nurse has more information.If lice are not responding to over-the-counter treatments, please see your healthcare provider.There are prescription treatments available.

For more information on head lice visit this link:
https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/treatment.html

DTaP: Diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (whooping cough); record may show DT or DTP
Polio: IPV – inactivated polio vaccine; OPV – oral polio vaccine
HepB: Hepatitis B vaccine
Hib: Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine
PCV: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine
MMR: Measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines combined
Varicella: Chickenpox vaccine. May be written VAR on record
HepA: Hepatitis A vaccine

State Law and MISD policy require medically validated up-to-date records of immunizations to be on file for all students. Immunization records must be as complete as medically feasible. To claim exclusions for medical reasons or reasons of conscience, including a religious belief, please contact the school nurse or you may visit Texas DSHS to print exemption forms.

For K — 6th grade: 5 doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine; 1 dose must have been received on or after the 4th birthday. However, 4 doses meet the requirement if the 4th dose was received on or after the 4th birthday. For students aged 7 years and older, 3 doses meet the requirement if 1 dose was received on or after the 4th birthday.

For 7th grade: 1 dose of Tdap is required if at least 5 years have passed since the last dose of tetanus-containing vaccine.

For 8th — 12th grade: 1 dose of Tdap is required when 10 years have passed since the last dose of tetanus-containing vaccine. Td is acceptable in place of Tdap if a medical contraindication to pertussis exists

Polio:

For K — 12th grade: 4 doses of polio; 1 dose must be received on or after the 4th birthday. However, 3 doses meet the requirement if the 3rd dose was received on or after the 4th birthday.

MMR: 2 doses

For K — 12 grade: 2 doses are required, with the 1st dose received on or after the 1st birthday. Students vaccinated prior to 2009 with 2 doses of measles and one dose each of rubella and mumps satisfy this requirement.

Hepatitis B: 3 doses

For students aged 11 — 15 years, 2 doses meet the requirement if adult hepatitis B vaccine (Recombivax®) was received. Dosage (10 mcg / 1.0 mL) and type of vaccine (Recombivax®) must be clearly documented. If Recombivax® was not the vaccine received, a 3-dose series is required.

Varicella: 2 doses

The 1st dose of varicella must be received on or after the 1st birthday.

Meningococcal:

For 7th — 12th grade, 1 dose of quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine is required on or after the student’s 11th birthday.

Note: If a student received the vaccine at 10 years of age, this will satisfy the requirement.

Hepatitis A: 2 doses

The 1st dose of hepatitis A must be received on or after the 1st birthday.

Hib: A complete Hib series is two doses plus a booster dose on or after 12 months of age (three doses total). If a child receives the first dose of Hib vaccine at 12 – 14 months of age, only one additional dose is required (two doses total). Any child who has received a single dose of Hib vaccine on or after 15 – 59 months of age is in compliance with these specified vaccine requirements. Children 60 months of age and older are not required to receive Hib vaccine.

PCV: If the PCV series is started when a child is seven months of age or older or the child is delinquent in the series, then all four doses may not be required. Please reference the information below to assist with compliance:

For children seven through 11 months of age, two doses are required.
For children 12 – 23 months of age: if three doses have been received prior to 12 months of age, then an additional dose is required (total of four doses) on or after 12 months of age. If one or two doses were received prior to 12 months of age, then a total of three doses are required with at least one dose on or after 12 months of age. If zero doses have been received, then two doses are required with both doses on or after 12 months of age.
Children 24 months through 59 months meet the requirement if they have at least three doses with one dose on or after 12 months of age, or two doses with both doses on or after 12 months of age, or one dose on or after 24 months of age. Otherwise, one additional dose is required. Children 60 months of age and older are not required to receive PCV vaccine.

*For MMR, Varicella, and Hepatitis A vaccines, the first dose must be given on or after the first birthday. Vaccine doses administered within 4 days before the first birthday will satisfy the requirement.

For more information and information regarding exemptions/provisional enrollment please visit these links from the Texas Department of State Health Services:

https://dshs.texas.gov/immunize/school/school-requirements.aspx
https://dshs.texas.gov/immunize/school/child-care-requirements.aspx

Exemptions:
The law allows (a) physician to write a statement stating that the vaccine(s) required would be medically harmful or injurious to the health and well-being of the child, and (b) parents/guardians to choose an exemption from immunization requirements for reasons of conscience, including religious belief. The law does not allow parents/guardians to elect an exemption simply because of inconvenience (a record is lost or incomplete and it is too much
trouble to go to a physician or clinic to correct the problem).

For children needing medical exemptions, a written statement (or medical immunization exemption form obtained from the school nurse) should be completed by the child’s physician and submitted to the school. This exemption must be renewed yearly at the beginning of each new school year unless the physician documents the exemption is due to a lifelong condition.

Instructions for the affidavit to be signed by parents/guardians choosing the exemption for
reasons of conscience, including a religious belief can be found at www.ImmunizeTexas.com or http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/immunize/school/school_exclusion.shtm.

Students with exemptions can be excluded from attending school if an outbreak occurs.

Provisional:
All immunizations should be completed by the first date of attendance. The law requires that students be fully vaccinated against the specified diseases. A student may be enrolled provisionally, if the student has an immunization record that indicates the student has received at least one dose of each specified age-appropriate vaccine required by this rule. To remain enrolled, the student must complete the required subsequent doses in each vaccine series on schedule and as rapidly as is medically feasible and provide acceptable evidence of vaccination to the school. A school nurse or school administrator shall review the immunization status of a provisionally enrolled student every 30 days to ensure continued compliance in completing the required doses of vaccination. If, at the end of the 30 day period, a student has not received a subsequent dose of vaccine, the student is not in compliance and the school shall exclude the student from school attendance until the required dose is administered.

Documentation:
Since many types of personal immunization records are in use, any documentation will be acceptable provided a physician or public health personnel have validated it. The month, day and year that the vaccination was received must be recorded on all school immunization recreated or updated after September 1, 1991.