Health and Wellness of Student

Dear Parents,

          Below is the Beaufort County School District’s medication policy.   Please keep this policy for future reference, especially if your child will be taking prescribed and/or over-the-counter medications at school.  Below is a list of over-the-counter medications available at school.

            You will fill out your health card on info snap so that we can obtain necessary emergency information about your child.  Please make sure that your child has permission for the school health nurse to administer Tylenol (Acetaminophen) and Ibuprofen, if necessary. If you are unable to fill out info snap, please get a health card from the nurse. This information will be confidential and placed in your child’s health folder.

            The school health nurses welcome your questions and concerns.  If we can assist you in any way, please call.  We ask that you assist us in treating home injuries at home.  We also ask that meds to be given twice daily and three times daily be given at home.  We all know that “healthy children learn better”.

School Health Nurses

Beaufort County

STUDENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BRING MEDICATIONS TO SCHOOL

LIST OF OVER-THE-COUNTER MEDICATIONS FOR SCHOOLS:

Administration of Medication in Schools

The needs of children who require medication during school hours to maintain and support their continued presence in school shall be met in a safe and prudent manner.

STUDENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BRING MEDICATIONS TO SCHOOL

If a child is required to take medication during school hours and the parent cannot be at school to administer the medication, only the school health nurse, the principal, or the principal’s designee will administer the medication.  The medication will be administered in compliance with the regulations that follow: New Prescription are required every school year, dated after July 1, 2022

A.  Prescribed Medications:

            1.  Written authorization signed and dated by the physician and parent or guardian will be required and will include:

                                    a. Child’s name

                                    b. Name of medication

                                    c. Dosage

                                    d. Purpose of medication

                                    e. Time to be administered

                                    f.  Route of medication

                                     g. Termination date for administering the medication

            2.  Medication must be in its original current pharmacy container, properly labeled.

            3.  The parents of the child must assume responsibility for informing the school health nurse or the principal of any          change in the child’s health or change in medication.

            4.  The school district, under exceptional circumstances, retains the discretion to reject requests for administration of

                  medication.

            5.  A log of administered medications will be maintained.

B.  Emergency Medication (Life Threatening Situations):

Medication will be administered by the school health nurse, or by other school personnel trained by the school nurse, to students who have a history of serious allergic reaction or a health condition which may require specific medication(s) for certain life-threatening circumstances and who have written authorization and individually prescribed medication (see A. 1-5 above) or according to protocols for administering Epinephrine and Benadryl (see protocols).

C.  Over-the-Counter Medications:

            1.  Selection of stock over-the-counter medication made available to students should be jointly decided by the school                   district’s physician consultant, school health nurse, and district administration.

2.  A written protocol authorizing administration of stock over-the-counter medications must be approved and signed

     by the physician consultant (see protocol for over-the-counter medications).

            3.  Parents will be notified of all stock over-the-counter medications available at school.

            4.  Any non-stock over-the-counter medications requested by the parent or guardian to be given to the student for a                specific condition requires written parental permission and a doctor’s order and the medication must contain a  

                  pharmacy label. (The policies in A. 1-5 apply to these non-stocks over-the-counter medications.)

D.   Field Studies – Overnight Field Studies:

1.  Parents of students who will require special medical attention must notify the principal prior to a scheduled field

     study trip.  After consultation with the school health nurse, the principal will decide if the student can participate or

     needs to be accompanied on the trip by his/her parent.  Regulations for the administration of medications on field

     study trips shall be the same as specified in A-C above unless administered by the parent.

            2.  Mini first-aid kits will be provided by the school health nurse upon request.

The administration of medication will be coordinated by the school health nurse.  The school health nurse should provide individual health counseling and health education to examine and encourage alternative approaches to relieving discomfort and/or distress.  Follow up will include parent conferences when necessary.  Upon request, a copy of this regulation will be provided to any parent who is interested in the administration of medication in the schools.

June 2022 DU

SICKNESS AND SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

Per BCDS Policy students may NOT attend school with any of the following symptoms:

·       Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

·       Loss of taste or smell

·       New or worsening cough

·       Fever 100.4 or higher- taken orally (without fever reducing medication)

·       Vomiting- once in 24 hrs

·       Diarrhea- once in 24 hrs

·       Certain types of Rashes

·       Pink-eye (conjunctivitis) with drainage

·       Head lice- may return after treatment

Additional symptoms associated with COVID-19 include sore throat, muscle or body aches, chills, fatigue, headache, congestion or runny nose. For these symptoms, as well as the bulleted symptoms listed above, your child will need a medical evaluation to determine if their symptoms are from COVID-19 or from another diagnosis.

If your child has one or more of the FIRST THREE bulleted symptoms above, they will be required to:

Provide a Negative COVID test.

OR

Provide a note from a Health Care Provider clearing them to return to school.

OR

If no test or doctor note, then Isolate at home for 10 days after symptoms began.

Plus they must be fever free for 24 hrs without the use of fever reducing medication AND their symptoms must be improving before returning.

All other symptoms should follow school exclusion rules for that particular symptom.

There is a detailed list of illnesses requiring school exclusion with specifics for each diagnosis titled “DHEC School Exclusion List” on our website.

If your child was seen in the Emergency Room or was Hospitilized or had Surgery, a doctor note is required to return to school.

Please encourage your student not to come to the nurse’s office for minor issues that can wait until they get home. Teachers will have bandaids available in the classroom for minor cuts and abrasions. The nurse’s office is where the sickest people at the school are found.

In the event your student does become ill at school, you will be contacted. IF THIS HAPPENS, PLEASE PICK UP YOUR CHILD AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO PREVENT FURTHER SPREAD OF GERMS.

Click here for Influenza Fact Sheet

Click here for Influenza Fact Sheet - Spanish Version