5420

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 parent(s) or guardian(s), to protect and foster a safe and healthful environment for the students.
 
 The school shall work closely with students' families to provide detection and 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 physician provide appropriate care.
 
Schools shall also provide emergency care for students in accidental or unexpected medical situations.
 
A permanent student health record shall be part of a student's cumulative school record and should follow the student from grade to grade and school to school along with his/her academic record. This record folder shall be maintained by the school nurse.
 
Neither the Board nor district staff members shall be responsible for the diagnosis or treatment of student illness.
 
Immunizations
 
An official record of immunization must be presented upon registration. Students will not be allowed to attend classes without proper immunization. Minimum immunization requirements are as established by the New York State Education Department.
 
Communicable Diseases
 
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. Students will be excluded during periods of contagion for time periods indicated on a chart developed by the county health department, the State’s Health Department and/or the school district physician.
 
It is the responsibility of the Superintendent of Schools, working through district health personnel, to enforce this policy and to ensure that the nursing staff has contacted the New York State Department of Health and the county health department immediately upon notification of an outbreak, even if one student, of a communicable disease.
 
 
 
 

5420
 
Administering Medication to Students
 
 The district discourages the use of medications in school. 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.
 
 Procedures for administering such medication will be consistent with standards set by the State Education Department and good nursing practice.
 
 The school district also discourages the use of non-prescription medications by students in school. However, under certain conditions such use by students may be permitted if permission is provided by the parents or guardians.
 
Medical Emergency Record
 
 A medical emergency record file shall be established and maintained for all students.
 
 The Superintendent of Schools 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 administering of medication to students.
 
Cross-ref:  5191, Students with HIV-Related Illness
   8123.1, Contagious Diseases
 
Ref:  Education Law §§901 et seq.
 Public Health Law §§680; 2164
 8 NYCRR Part 136
 
Note:  Policy added
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Policy Adopted: January 29, 1997        Wayne Central School District