Washington Traditional School : Health Services

Immunization Requirements (district link)

Health Services

General Information

Your child’s health is important to us. We attempt to maintain good health conditions while your child is in school.

The nurse’s hours are from 8:00 a.m.-2:45 p.m. The nurse’s office is located off of the main school entrance.

The nurse's office is not a primary care facility like a doctor's office and may not be used as such because the nurse is not allowed by law to make a medical diagnosis, prescribe treatment, or administer medication without a doctor's order. First aid and medical care provided by the school nurse are primarily for illnesses or injuries that occur during the school day. School is a healthy environment! The nurse's major responsibility is to maintain that environment and give each child the best opportunity to learn and reach his/her full potential through health education, health assessment, identification of health problems, the making of appropriate referrals and follow-up, and altering the school environment to meet special health needs.

Nurse's office hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with a lunch break from 12:45 to 1:15. Any situation that can wait will be attended to during the designated morning and afternoon hours. The reasons for nurse's office hours are:

To increase student instruction time.
To increase compliance with state and local mandates for health services.
To increase the student's ability to be responsible consumers of health care.
To increase the student's self-care skills.
To improve the quality of care to students.

Unnecessary, chronic, or frequent visitors to the Health Center will be encouraged to alter their habits and parents will be notified if the practice continues. Parental cooperation is appreciated to reduce needless missed class time and to help develop valuable life skills.

Please contact the school nurse with comments, questions, or concerns, at 717-3281.

Health Concerns
It is imperative you notify the nurse of any medical condition(s) your child may have such as diabetes, asthma, allergies, vision or hearing problems. a physical or mental disability, etc. This will allow the school staff and the school nurse to better serve your child.

Emergency Medical Information
In accordance with district policy, parents/guardians must complete and sign the student medical emergency information form to complete registration and enrollment. Emergency medical information forms must be returned no later than the end of the first week of school. Please make sure you have answered all questions, as we do not keep emergency cards from the previous year.

Please notify the nurse of any home, work, or emergency telephone number or address changes immediately so we may update your child's emergency information card.

Illness/Accidents/Emergency/Medications
School is no place for a sick child. Please do not send your child to school if he/she has diarrhea, vomiting, a fever, rash, deep cough, or a communicable disease such as chicken pox, strep throat, pink-eye, etc. If you are unsure of your child's symptoms, please call the school nurse before sending him/her to school.

You will be notified if your child becomes ill enough to be removed from school, sustains more than a minor injury, or for any other emergency. It is the parent's responsibility to make arrangements to pick up your ill or injured child as promptly as possible. In accordance with district procedures, elementary and middle school students are not permitted to walk home when ill or injured. High school students may walk or provide their own transportation per agreement between the parent/guardian and the school nurse.

If your child has been ill with a fever, he/she must be fever-free for 24 hours before returning to school.

Students involved in minor accidents receiving small cuts, scratches, will be cared for by the school nurse. If it is necessary for a child to be sent home because of a serious accident or illness, the person designated as the first or second emergency contact will be notified – if the parent cannot be reached. If neither you nor the emergency contact person(s) can be reached, the principal will decide what steps to take. If, in his/her judgment, the child needs a doctor and the emergency card has been signed, the child will be taken to a local doctor.

In all cases, EVERY EFFORT will be made to reach and notify the parent of the child. The school needs to know any resident or emergency phone number changes in order to provide the correct information. If it is necessary for a student to take any medication while at school, either a prescription drug from your physician or an over-the-counter medication that you have purchased, the medication must be sent to the school nurse in the original container with the student’s name on the label, accompanied by a request signed by the parent or guardian. To obtain the request form, please contact the school nurse.

Any medication sent to school without proper identification will not be given. All medications must be kept in the school nurse’s office.

When to Keep Your Child Home
Parents are urged to keep children home when they show symptoms of illness. If symptoms occur while in school, parents will be contacted and asked to arrange for the child to be taken home.

Please do not send your child to school if any of the following are present:

Fever with temperature of 100 degrees or more;
Severe cough, even without a fever;
Sore throat, if white spots can be seen in the back of the throat;
Vomiting or diarrhea during the evening or the night.

Do not allow your child to return to school until he/she has been free of fever for 24 hours. Reasonable requests for the child to stay in from recess for one day will be honored. If additional time is needed please contact the teacher.

Communicable Diseases
If you know or suspect your child had a communicable disease, please contact the school nurse before returning your child to school. Some of the most frequent communicable diseases among school age children are chicken pox, pink eye, head lice and streptococcal sore throat.

School Attendance and Communicable Diseases:

1. Chicken Pox: Exclude for one week after the first crop of vesicles appear and/or until all of the chicken pox lesions have scabbed themselves over.

2. Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye): Exclude until symptoms subside or effective antibiotic therapy is initiated and maintained for at least 24 hours.

3. Pediculosis (Head Lice): Exclude until treatment with a pharmaceutical lice shampoo treatment has been accomplished.

4. Strep Infections: Exclude for at least seven days from onset. Exclusion may be terminated 24 hours after adequate treatment has begun if therapy is continued for 10 days.

Immunizations
Arizona State Law, ARS 15-872, states that children must have documentary proof of immunization on file at school. It is the responsibility of the parent / guardian to furnish the school with the month, day, and year of each immunization for your child. If your child is missing or delinquent in receiving the required immunization, your child will be suspended from school until the needed immunizations are received and documented proof is presented to the school nurse.

Health Records
It is the school nurse’s responsibility to maintain and establish an adequate health record on each student. It is critical for your child to have current information on his/her medical files in the school nurse’s office. This is for your child’s protection in the event of an illness or accident that may occur during the school day. Therefore, the school must be furnished with two phone numbers for use, should there be a reason to contact you regarding your child’s health.

Health Screening
Age/grade level appropriate and program specific health screenings of students (e.g., height, weight, vision, hearing, blood pressure, scoliosis) are performed each year. Parents will be notified should the nurse detect a possible problem.

Community Based Health Clinic (Partners for Healthy Students)
PUSD, in conjunction with Yavapai Regional Medical Center and PG&E, provides free health care to uninsured families within the district through school-based clinics located in Prescott Valley, Prescott, and Chino Valley. Parents may contact the school nurse to determine eligibility and/or to process an application. The nurse's office has several other resources available for vision exams and glasses, dental care, clothing, shoes, food, etc. If you have a need, please contact the school nurse.

AHCCCS/KidsCare
AHCCCS/KidsCare is Health Insurance for the low-income, uninsured, which covers many services for a zero to low monthly premium. See the nurse to determine eligibility or to pick up an application.