MANDATED PHYSICALS

As of July 1, 2018, New York State law requires a health examination for all student entering the school district for the first time and when entering Pre-K or K, 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th and 11th grade.  The examination must be completed by a New York State licensed physician, physician asistant or nurse practitioner and on the approved NYSED Student Health Examination Form for School.  If a physical report is not received by a child's private physician by October 1st, an exam will be given by the school physician.  This brief exam should not take the place of a yearly exam by your family physician. For your convenience, a copy of the NYSED Student Health Examination Form for School can be downloaded and printed from the "Health Forms" section of this website.

IMMUNIZATIONS

New York State Public Health Law, Section 2164 requires that schools will not permit a child to attend school unless the parent provides the school with a certificate of immunization or proof from a physician, nurse practitioner or physician's assistant that the child is in the process of receiving the required immunizations.  Your child will not be permitted to attend school without the necessary immunizations.  A record of your child’s immunizations from your health care provider, health department, or official copy of the immunization record from the child's previous school (a copy of the original immunization record from the healthcare provider – not a copy of the school health record) is acceptable. A NYSIIS/NYCIR record is also acceptable. The exact date each immunization was given must be included in the record.

Please click this link to view a chart of required New York State immunizations.

ANNUAL SCREENINGS

Students in kindergarten 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 10 are screened annually for vision and hearing.  All new students are screened for hearing, far and near vision, and color vision.  If a potential problem is identified during any screening process, a referral will be sent to the students home.  Please take this referral to your child's physician and return it to the health office with the doctor's findings and recommendations.  If at any time during the school year you suspect a problem with your child's hearing or vision, please call the health office and we will screen them.  In addition, female students in 5th and 7th grade, and male students in 9th grade are screened for scoliosis, or curvature of the spine.  If you wish that your child not participate in these screenings, please provide written notice to the health office by the student's 12th day of school.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

In cases of illness or injury, students may be excused for one to two days with a parent note.  If the student needs to be excused for a longer period of time, a physician's note is required.  This note should include the length of the excuse, as well as any restrictions for the student after they return to participation.

If a student has a chronic medical condition that requires yearly restrictions and/or modifications to the physical education program, an annual note will be needed from the licensed medical provider.

All jewelry must be removed during gym participation.  For this reason, we encourage new piercings to be done over long holiday breaks and summer vacation. 

Body Mass Index Reporting

As part of a required school health examination, a student is weighed and his/her height is measured. These numbers are used to figure out the student’s body mass index or ‘BMI’. The BMI helps the doctor or nurse know if the student’s weight is in a healthy range or is too high or too low. Recent changes to the New York State Education Law require that BMI and weight status group be included as part of the student’s school health examination. A sample of school districts will be selected to take part in a survey by the New York State Department of Health. If our school is selected to be part of the survey, we will be reporting to New York State Department of Health information about our students’ weight status groups. Only summary information is sent. No names and no information about individual students are sent. However, you may choose to have your child’s information excluded from this survey report. The information sent to the New York State Department of Health will help health officials develop programs that make it easier for children to be healthier.  If you do not wish to have your child’s weight status group information included as part of the Health Department’s survey any given year, please notify the health office in writting prior to October 1st of each school year.

MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION

All medication, including non-prescription or over the counter drugs (OTC), given in school shall be prescribed by a licensed prescriber on an individual basis as determined by the child's health status.

For your convenience, an "Authorization for Administering Medication" form for your doctor to fill out and parent to sign can be downloaded from the "Health Forms" section of this web site.

1. The school nurse must have a written request or order from the child's physician that indicates the medical condition being treated and the length of time the medication is to be administered.  In addition, the form must specify the name of the drug, the dosage, the frequency, and the time to be administered, the route and the potential side effects. 
2. The nurse must have a written note/request from the parent to administer medication as specified by the physician.
3. Prescription medication must be in the original container prepared by the pharmacist and the label must include the name and strength of the medication.  Non-prescription or OTC drugs must be in the original unopened container.
4. All medication must be delivered directly to the school nurse by the parent.
5. If a child is able to self-medicate (such as an inhaler for asthma), an order from the physician must reflect this.
6. Medication orders must be renewed annually or whenever there is a change in dosage or frequency.
7. All medication must be picked up by the end of the school year.  Any medication that is left after the last day of school will be discarded.

Medical Equipment

Any medical equipment or devices, including but not limitted to braces, splints, crutches, wheelchairs, or requiring the use of the elevator must have a physician's or medical provider's order, as well as signed parental permission.

Health and Medical Limitations

A letter from a doctor must be submitted to the school nurse requesting a change in a student's program at school if a student cannot participate in a physical activity because of health or physical limitations.