This month is breast cancer awareness month. We wear pink on the 6th in honor of the brave men and women who have fought and won, fought and lost or are still fighting this disease. Our hearts and prayers are with all those affected by this and all cancers.
We will be finishing up our vision and hearing this month, and starting spinal screenings for grade 5 & 7 females and grade 8 males.
The Deadline for shot records to be in is October 6th. I need them in the computer so that I can report to the state. Please send a copy as soon as they are done and up to date.
Please be mindful if you are doing classroom snacks or holiday parties
that there are kids with allergies so make sure it’s allowed before you bring it into the classroom.
Stay or Go Attendance Awareness
Did you know that in research collected by the Journal of School Health, 95% of students seen by school nurses for illness or injury are able to return to the classroom? Of course, this is one of the infinite reasons school nurses are so valuable. Without a school nurse, unlicensed personnel without medical expertise or nursing knowledge are at risk of sending students home from school or to the emergency department unnecessarily. But even with the fiercest assessment skills, profound amounts of expertise, and unmatched baloney detectors, determining when to send a student home or not isn't always easy.
Most local or state health departments have school exclusion policies that districts or schools can use to formulate health office protocols for sending students home from school. In general, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive cough, or an unexplained systemic rash would all be causes for a student to go home for the day (at least). But as every school nurse knows, kids can be tricky and situations nuanced.
For instance, if a student has a single episode of emesis subsequent to spinning on playground equipment following lunch, they may be okay to stay in school after touching base with a parent/guardian. Likewise, if a student isn't technically febrile, but has a temporal temperature of 99.4, a reddened throat, and glazed eyes, sending them home might be clinically appropriate. Oftentimes, common complaints can be easily sent back to class with a little coaching or nursing intervention - pharmacological or non-pharmacological . Other times, school nurses may send students back to class only to have them return again (and again!). These instances may require a call to the parent for additional information/assistance or exploration of alternative emotional causes.
It may not always be clear-cut, but if a student's presence in the classroom is hindering their learning or jeopardizing the safety and well-being of others, the school nurse may decide that it's best for them to go home. By making this decision, the nurse is ensuring that every student has a fair chance to learn and grow in a safe and healthy environment. (Credit: MacGill: The Pulse)
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