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First, let us welcome you and your children back. This year our offices are going to look a little different. Non-emergent visits to the Health Office will not be allowed due to risk of exposure. These are things such as personal grooming, chapped lips, lotion for dry skin, or needing a "break". Please have this talk with your child. We truly miss them but we need them to understand that this is for their own safety.
If your child has presented to the School Nurse with the following symptoms that are consistent with being identified as a concern for COVID-19, you will be called to pick up your child immediately as per NYSED law 906. Please be advised that should your child exhibit any of the symptoms below they will be placed in an isolation room, the "Guardian Angel" room, again as per NYSED/DOH guidelines. The longer your child is here, the more at risk we put our students and staff. We appreciate your understanding. Please have a back up plan or two in place prior to the start of the school year.- Fever or chills (100 degrees or greater)
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Pink eye
RETURN TO SCHOOL AFTER ILLNESS:
As per the NYSED, the return to school/learning protocol must include at a minimum:- documentation of evaluation by a healthcare provider (healthcare provider note clearing a person t return to school)
- negative COVID-19 testing, and symptom resolution, or if COVID-19 positive
- release from isolation from healthcare provider as required by DOH and NYSED
We appreciate your cooperation with these guidelines and we understand that this is a difficult time for all of us. Please bear with us as we navigate through this while following best practices and CDC/NYSDOH/NYSED guidelines.
STUDENTS WITH ASTHMA:
Current CDC guidance recommends the use of spacers/valve-holding chambers and an MDI instead of nebulizer delivered asthma medication when feasible, to reduce the chance or aerosolization and transmission of COVID. Please ask your child's physician.
Should your child be in need of a nebulizer, we will be administering any nebulizer treatment outdoors as this is the safest area.
If your child is able to self carry an inhaler, we are going to ask them to remove themselves from the classroom as they have to remove their mask to administer. Of course, at any time, the student may come to the Health Office and go outside to take their inhaler.
IMMUNIZATIONS: Please be aware that mandated immunizations are still required by NYS during this pandemic regardless of whether our District has hybrid, remote, or full in school learning. Immunizations are due within the first 14 days of school or your child will not be allowed to attend hybrid, remote or in school learning. All of the required pre-k vaccines should be completed or in process as per NYS guidelines. Tdap is due in 6th grade or when your child turns 11. 7th grade requires meningococcal vaccine. There are no exemptions for immunizations in our school.
MANDATED PHYSICALS: Health physicals for grades K, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 are mandated and should be sent to the Health Office within the first 30 days of school. Mandated physicals can be dated one calendar from the previous school year. In other words, any physical dated after September 4, 2019 would be acceptable.
THANK YOU,
DINA TASHMAN, RN
JOANIE CONNOLLY, RN
St. Stephen- St. Edward School Nursing Staff