School Health Services

School Health Services

The HEALTH OFFICE (A313) is open:  7:30-3:15 p.m. for students with acute and chronic health issues and/or routine first aid

If the office is closed and assistance is needed outside of these hours please see an Administrator, go to the Front Desk, or to a House Assistant.

Student dismissal through the health office requires a nurse to assess for illness or injury. Students will only be dismissed home with parental permission.

HEALTH OFFICE REQUIREMENTS:

- Yearly parent permission is required for “over the counter medication” see Student Health Emergency Information Form below.

Student Health and Emergency Information Form

IMMUNIZATIONS 

School Year 22-223 required immunizations

- Menactra Vaccination

The MDPH requires all 9th grade students should receive at least  1 dose; 1 dose MenACWY (formerly MCV4) required. 

and all 11th/ 12th graders should receive 2 doses of MenACWY.; (formerly MCV4) on or after the 16th birthday and ≥ 8 weeks after the previous dose. 1 dose is acceptable if it was given on or after the 16th birthday. Meningococcal B vaccine is not required and does not meet this requirement.

-Covid Vaccination is not required but encouraged

Vaccination is the primary tool against COVID-19. Individuals who are vaccinated against COVID-19 are less likely to develop severe illness. In most settings, vaccinated individuals can safely resume most of their daily activities. Persons 6 months or older are eligible for vaccination. Please use this link for information about how and where to get vaccinated.

https://www.mass.gov/covid-19-updates-and-information

 

CDC Vaccine Guidance: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/

 

As part of the MDPH Immunization Exemptions and Vaccine Preventable Disease Exclusion Guidelines in School Settings requires that a letter be submitted annually at the beginning of the school year.

 

Definition of Allowable Exemptions: There are two situations in which children who are not appropriately immunized may be admitted to school:

A medical exemption is allowed if a physician submits documentation attesting that an immunization is medically contraindicated; and

A religious exemption is allowed if a parent or guardian submits a written statement that immunizations conflict with their sincere religious beliefs.

 

Please note that if there is an outbreak of a communicable disease, those students with exemptions may be excluded for the duration of the incubation of that particular illness.

 

COVID-19 PROTOCOLS

We want to advise you of additional steps that will be taken to reduce the spread of COVID-19 within the school community. These measures follow the guidelines for schools from the CDC and DESE (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education). As knowledge and understanding of COVID-19 evolves, these guidelines may change.

 

Hand Sanitizer: stations are located throughout the building in common areas, and hallways where school staff are commonly present. Parents are encouraged to discuss the dangers of hand sanitizer if ingested with their child. Parents may opt their child out from the use of hand sanitizer. In this case students should utilize hand washing frequently.

 

Illness: Parents and guardians must monitor their children prior to school for signs of illness everyday.

Students who are ill should not attend school in-person and get tested. 

• Symptomatic individuals will be sent home and allowed to return to their program or school if symptoms remain mild and they test negative, or they have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and their symptoms are resolving, or if a medical professional makes an alternative diagnosis. A negative test is strongly recommended for return.  

Below is the full list of symptoms

Please refer to the current CDC link of COVID-19 symptoms for additional reference:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html

Get Tested: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/find-a-covid-19-test

ISOLATION AND EXPOSURE GUIDANCE PROTOCOLS

Guidance for Children and Staff in Child Care, K-12, OST, and Recreational Camp Settings:

• Quarantine is no longer required, regardless of vaccination status or where the exposure occurred. All exposed individuals may continue to attend school so long as they remain asymptomatic. Those who can mask should do so until Day 10, and it is recommended that they test on Day 6 of exposure. If symptoms develop, follow the guidance for symptomatic individuals, below.

• Children and staff who test positive must isolate for at least 5 days. Please notify the school health office if your student has tested positive. If they are asymptomatic or symptoms are resolving and they have been fever free without the use of fever-reducing medicine for 24 hours, they may return to programming after Day 5 and should wear a high-quality mask through Day 10:

• If the individual is able to mask, they must do so through Day 10

• If the child has a negative test on Day 5 or later, they do not need to mask.

• If the individual is unable to mask, they may return to programming with a negative test on Day 5 or later. 

MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION:

All medication will be stored and dispensed through the Health Office. This includes over the counter medications and prescription medications. For safety reasons, students should never transport medication to and from school or keep medicine in their possession during the school day. The parent/guardian or an authorized adult are requested to deliver medication to the health office please call ahead and we will come to your car for delivery.

 

If it becomes necessary for a student to take any form of medication at school, a written authorization from the parent, a medication order from a licensed prescriber, and the pharmacy labeled container are required.

 

Under certain circumstances, in consultation with the school nurse, a student may self-administer asthma inhalers, insulin, or Epi-pens® during the school day after receipt of an updated action plan with consent from their healthcare provider and the parent authorization form. See below for forms.

 

Prescriber Authorization for Prescription Medication Administration Form

 

Parent Authorization for Prescription Medication Administration Form

 

LS Asthma Action Plan

 

L-S Allergy Action Plan

 

L-S Seizure Action Plan

 

Any medications that are not picked up by the last day of school will be destroyed. Contact your school nurse for more information.

 

HEALTH SCREENINGS:

Lincoln Sudbury provides health screenings for students as required by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. This includes postural screenings for 9th graders, as well as vision, hearing and Body Mass Index screening for 10th graders.

 

If your student is under care for scoliosis or you wish to opt out please use the form below.

 

Health Office Posture Screen Form Refusal 6 2018

 

SBIRT: Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment focuses on prevention, early detection, risk assessment, brief counseling and referral for assessment that can be utilized in the school setting.

 

In March, 2016, the Massachusetts Legislature enacted an Act relative to substance use, treatment, education and prevention (STEP Act) which outlines the requirements for public schools in the Commonwealth to engage in substance use screening and education. Legislation can be found at https://malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2016/Chapter52 (see Sections 15, 63, 64, 66).

 

Parents will be notified prior to commencement of this screening with an opt out option. This screening is done as part of 9th grade wellness class.

 

All 10th grade students are required to have a physical examination on file at the health office .

 

EXEMPTIONS FROM WELLNESS

If a student is to be excused from a Wellness class, a signed and dated letter from a health care provider must be on file in the Health Office.