Parent Information for 2016-17
Dear Parent/Legal Guardian:
As your student heads back to school, Fulton County School System’s Office of Student Health Services has developed this letter to help families prepare their children for a safe and healthy school year. In collaboration with the schools, Student Health Services works to ensure children stay healthy, safe and ready to learn. Our School Nurses and Clinic Assistants work as a team to manage the health care services at school, and serves as the key resource in caring for your student. This letter will explain some of our health services policies, procedures and guidelines. We also need your assistance and cooperation in preparing for the possibility that your student may need to take medication, need assistance with a medical condition or procedure, become ill, or have an accident during school hours.
EMERGENCY INFORMATION / HEALTH CONDITIONS / CHRONIC ILLNESSES
Emergency contact and health information should be updated annually by the parent or legal guardian within 5 days of the beginning of the new school year (as well as upon entering a Fulton County School) by completing and returning the Emergency Contact Information Form (EMG01) to the school. On the Student Enrollment and/or Emergency Contact Form, please list relatives/friends as emergency contacts for your student in the event you cannot be reached. Please list your best contact information such as a cell phone number. Current contact information and accurate health information enables the school to contact you in case of emergency, accident or illness. If any information changes during the school year, please contact the school immediately. It is the parent or legal guardian’s responsibility to keep the student’s health and contact information (telephone numbers, address, etc.) updated. The school should be informed if a student has a medical condition or chronic illness, or if a student requires assistance for any medical procedure or treatment. The school should also be informed if a student takes daily medications, has a severe allergy, or if the student has a disability that requires a special diet. For special diet requests, please contact School Nutrition at 470-254-8960. In addition, if your child rides the bus and carries any emergency medications (i.e. an inhaler, Epipen, Diastat, etc.) or has any serious health conditions that the bus driver should be aware of (i.e. diabetes, seizure disorder, asthma); please notify Transportation Services. You can contact North Transportation Services at 470-254-2970, and South Transportation Services at 470-254-6060. In case of a serious accident or illness at school, your child will be transported by ambulance to an emergency medical facility. The parent/legal guardian is responsible for all expenses and transportation.
STUDENT ILLNESS / INJURY
Students who are sick, contagious (potential or actual) and/or have a fever greater than 100.4° orally MUST NOT be sent to school. In order to return to school, a student should be free of fever, vomiting and diarrhea for at least 24 hours/a school day, and not require medications to reduce fever. In some cases, students must be cleared by a healthcare provider before returning to school. In addition, there may be other health issues when the student may not return to school unless cleared by a healthcare provider and a note must be provided (i.e. contagious illnesses or chronic diarrhea).
When a student becomes ill at school, has a fever, a potential contagious/communicable illness or a more serious health problem while at school, the parent/guardian will be notified to pick-up their child immediately. The parent/guardian MUST ARRANGE for the student to be taken home. A note from a healthcare provider may be requested by the school before your child can return to school.
STUDENT ACCIDENT INSURANCE
Student Accident Insurance can be purchased through Fulton County Schools. The insurance covers accidents during school time (School Time Coverage) or 24-hours a day (24-Hour Round The Clock Coverage). There are currently three plan options: Premier, Preferred, and Basic Options. For more information, contact the Risk Management Department at 470-254-2180.
MEDICATIONS
When possible, medication should be taken at home, including all non-essential medications, such as vitamins, herbals, essential oils, and narcotic pain medications. However, if medication must be taken at school, on a field trip or during a "before or after" school chaperoned activity, the following policies and procedures apply: (Fulton County Schools reserves the right to decline administration of nonessential medications).
1. Authorization for Medication Form – The parent/legal guardian must complete an authorization and instruction form entitled "AUTHORIZATION TO GIVE MEDICATION AT SCHOOL SHS-1 Form". For all prescription medications, a physician must also sign the form. A faxed copy of the form from your doctor’s office is acceptable after the parent/legal guardian’s signature. All schools have copies of the form on-site for your convenience, or you can access the Student Health Services website to obtain a copy of the form. The school cannot give medications without the authorization form. The same form is used for prescription and non-prescription medications. Medication Authorization Forms are valid for one school year. A separate form MUST be used for each medication.
2. The medication and the authorization form SHOULD be taken to the school clinic/office by the parent/legal guardian. However, if this is not possible, the student should be instructed to take the medication and the authorization form directly to the school office/clinic upon arrival to school. Please instruct your student that under NO circumstances should medication be shown to or shared with another student! It is essential for the parent/legal guardian to bring controlled substance medications to the school personally. Medications that are considered controlled substances by the State of Georgia (which includes medications for ADD/ADHD and prescribed pain medications) should be appropriately stored in the school clinic.
NOTE: In High Schools the Authorization for Medication Form must also be used when supervision, storage, or administration by the school is required. We encourage all medications to be kept in the clinic unless it is an approved emergency medication or over-the counter medication and the student has permission to carry the medication on his/her person during school hours (See paragraph below on "Authorization for Students to Carry Approved Emergency Medications, or Other Approved Medication").
3. Only medication in its ORIGINAL container from the store or pharmacy is accepted. Non-Prescription medications in small-sized containers are preferred due to limited storage space. Both prescription and non-prescription medications sent to the school must have current labeling on the container. Medication in containers that have expired labeling will not be given to the student. The medication in the container must MATCH the label. The label must MATCH the student and the instructions on the authorization form. The prescription label on the bottle must be CURRENT. A new prescription container with correct labeling is required for any dosage change. The school cannot alter dosages without a new authorization form from you and/or your doctor/healthcare provider. At the designated time, the student will go to the clinic to take the medication. Assistance/supervision by the school clinic personnel will be given in accordance with the instructions on the authorization form. Medication is a parental responsibility. Fulton County School System employees will not assume any liability for supervising or administering medication. Fulton County School System retains the privilege of refusing to supervise/assist in administering medication, except where otherwise required by law.
4. Discontinued medication should be retrieved from the school office/clinic within one week after the medication is discontinued. Unused medication should be picked up by the end of the school year. Discontinued or unused medication left in the clinic at the end of the school year will be discarded.
AUTHORIZATION FOR STUDENTS TO CARRY A PRESCRIPTION, INHALER, EPIPEN, INSULIN OR OTHER APPROVED MEDICATION SHS-2 FORM
If you have a student who has asthma, a severe allergy or another health-related condition that requires self-administration of medication, or needs to carry an emergency medication (Epipen, Diastat, inhaler, glucagon, etc.), or if a student has an approved legitimate reason to carry a medication on his/her person, you must complete and submit to the school clinic an Authorization for Students to Carry a Prescription, Inhaler, Epipen, Insulin, or Other Approved Medication SHS-2 Form. You may obtain a form from your child’s school. This form requires a physician, parent/guardian, and student signature if the medication is a prescription medication. You are strongly encouraged to keep a "back-up" supply of any emergency medications such as an inhaler, Epipen, Diastat, Diabetes medication, etc. in the school clinic. For further instructions, please call or visit your school clinic. Over-the-Counter (OTC) medications have different requirements. Elementary School students must store all OTC medications in the clinic, which may only be administered with parental permission (use form SHS-1); Middle School students may carry Fulton County approved medications with them during the school day, on field trips or during other school-related activities, if parental permission is provided in advance on the district approved form (Form SHS-2). High School students may carry Fulton County approved medications with them during the school day, field trips or other school-related activities and no form is necessary.
Fulton County approved medications: acetaminophen, antacids, aspirin, cough or throat lozenges, ibuprofen, midol and oral antihistamines
IMMUNIZATIONS
For enrollment in Fulton County Schools System, ALL certificates of immunization must be marked "Complete for Attendance" or have a future expiration date. Expired certificates are unacceptable. Effective July 1, 2014, all 7th grade students who were born on or after January 1, 2002 and for new students grade 8-12 who are entering into a Georgia school for the first time or entering after having been absent from a Georgia school for more than twelve months (or one school year) will be required to have 1 dose of Tdap and 1 dose of Meningococcal Vaccine. There are also specific immunization requirements for Pre-K, Kindergarten, Rising Sixth Graders and all new students. Please contact your healthcare provider or local health department if you have questions. A detailed description of the immunization policies and changes can be found at http://dph.georgia.gov/vaccines-children and can also be found on Fulton County’s website at www.fultonschools.org. The parent/guardian is responsible for securing and maintaining a copy of the mandated Georgia Public Health 3231 Immunization Form, and the Vision, Hearing, Dental and Nutritional Screening Form 3300. Students who are not compliant with Georgia’s immunization requirements will be excluded from school until the appropriate or updated certificate/form is submitted as specified by law.
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
In the event of an emergency, we want to ensure we are adequately prepared to appropriately care for your student if we had to "shelter-in-place" or stay at school for an extended period of time. This is a precaution aimed at keeping our students and staff safe during an emergency. If your student requires any medication, especially emergency medications, whether they are scheduled to take it during school hours or not, or if your student requires a special medical procedure, please alert the school clinic so you can plan accordingly. We certainly want to make sure we stock-pile (have an adequate supply) any emergency medication(s) your student may need if they have to be sheltered-in-place. Should the decision ever be made to shelter-in-place, information will be provided to you from your student’s school as well as the district and local authorities. It is important for you to follow instructions from the school district and local authorities so you will know what to do if we are advised to shelter-in-place. Feel free to visit Ready.gov for more information about how you can prepare for an emergency.
By working together, we can strive to ensure the health and well-being of every student so that he/she can benefit from the education program. Should you have any questions or need additional information, please contact your Cluster Nurse, Special Education Nurse, Clinic Assistant, or call the Office of Student Health Services at 470-254-2177.
Thank you.
As your student heads back to school, Fulton County School System’s Office of Student Health Services has developed this letter to help families prepare their children for a safe and healthy school year. In collaboration with the schools, Student Health Services works to ensure children stay healthy, safe and ready to learn. Our School Nurses and Clinic Assistants work as a team to manage the health care services at school, and serves as the key resource in caring for your student. This letter will explain some of our health services policies, procedures and guidelines. We also need your assistance and cooperation in preparing for the possibility that your student may need to take medication, need assistance with a medical condition or procedure, become ill, or have an accident during school hours.
EMERGENCY INFORMATION / HEALTH CONDITIONS / CHRONIC ILLNESSES
Emergency contact and health information should be updated annually by the parent or legal guardian within 5 days of the beginning of the new school year (as well as upon entering a Fulton County School) by completing and returning the Emergency Contact Information Form (EMG01) to the school. On the Student Enrollment and/or Emergency Contact Form, please list relatives/friends as emergency contacts for your student in the event you cannot be reached. Please list your best contact information such as a cell phone number. Current contact information and accurate health information enables the school to contact you in case of emergency, accident or illness. If any information changes during the school year, please contact the school immediately. It is the parent or legal guardian’s responsibility to keep the student’s health and contact information (telephone numbers, address, etc.) updated. The school should be informed if a student has a medical condition or chronic illness, or if a student requires assistance for any medical procedure or treatment. The school should also be informed if a student takes daily medications, has a severe allergy, or if the student has a disability that requires a special diet. For special diet requests, please contact School Nutrition at 470-254-8960. In addition, if your child rides the bus and carries any emergency medications (i.e. an inhaler, Epipen, Diastat, etc.) or has any serious health conditions that the bus driver should be aware of (i.e. diabetes, seizure disorder, asthma); please notify Transportation Services. You can contact North Transportation Services at 470-254-2970, and South Transportation Services at 470-254-6060. In case of a serious accident or illness at school, your child will be transported by ambulance to an emergency medical facility. The parent/legal guardian is responsible for all expenses and transportation.
STUDENT ILLNESS / INJURY
Students who are sick, contagious (potential or actual) and/or have a fever greater than 100.4° orally MUST NOT be sent to school. In order to return to school, a student should be free of fever, vomiting and diarrhea for at least 24 hours/a school day, and not require medications to reduce fever. In some cases, students must be cleared by a healthcare provider before returning to school. In addition, there may be other health issues when the student may not return to school unless cleared by a healthcare provider and a note must be provided (i.e. contagious illnesses or chronic diarrhea).
When a student becomes ill at school, has a fever, a potential contagious/communicable illness or a more serious health problem while at school, the parent/guardian will be notified to pick-up their child immediately. The parent/guardian MUST ARRANGE for the student to be taken home. A note from a healthcare provider may be requested by the school before your child can return to school.
STUDENT ACCIDENT INSURANCE
Student Accident Insurance can be purchased through Fulton County Schools. The insurance covers accidents during school time (School Time Coverage) or 24-hours a day (24-Hour Round The Clock Coverage). There are currently three plan options: Premier, Preferred, and Basic Options. For more information, contact the Risk Management Department at 470-254-2180.
MEDICATIONS
When possible, medication should be taken at home, including all non-essential medications, such as vitamins, herbals, essential oils, and narcotic pain medications. However, if medication must be taken at school, on a field trip or during a "before or after" school chaperoned activity, the following policies and procedures apply: (Fulton County Schools reserves the right to decline administration of nonessential medications).
1. Authorization for Medication Form – The parent/legal guardian must complete an authorization and instruction form entitled "AUTHORIZATION TO GIVE MEDICATION AT SCHOOL SHS-1 Form". For all prescription medications, a physician must also sign the form. A faxed copy of the form from your doctor’s office is acceptable after the parent/legal guardian’s signature. All schools have copies of the form on-site for your convenience, or you can access the Student Health Services website to obtain a copy of the form. The school cannot give medications without the authorization form. The same form is used for prescription and non-prescription medications. Medication Authorization Forms are valid for one school year. A separate form MUST be used for each medication.
2. The medication and the authorization form SHOULD be taken to the school clinic/office by the parent/legal guardian. However, if this is not possible, the student should be instructed to take the medication and the authorization form directly to the school office/clinic upon arrival to school. Please instruct your student that under NO circumstances should medication be shown to or shared with another student! It is essential for the parent/legal guardian to bring controlled substance medications to the school personally. Medications that are considered controlled substances by the State of Georgia (which includes medications for ADD/ADHD and prescribed pain medications) should be appropriately stored in the school clinic.
NOTE: In High Schools the Authorization for Medication Form must also be used when supervision, storage, or administration by the school is required. We encourage all medications to be kept in the clinic unless it is an approved emergency medication or over-the counter medication and the student has permission to carry the medication on his/her person during school hours (See paragraph below on "Authorization for Students to Carry Approved Emergency Medications, or Other Approved Medication").
3. Only medication in its ORIGINAL container from the store or pharmacy is accepted. Non-Prescription medications in small-sized containers are preferred due to limited storage space. Both prescription and non-prescription medications sent to the school must have current labeling on the container. Medication in containers that have expired labeling will not be given to the student. The medication in the container must MATCH the label. The label must MATCH the student and the instructions on the authorization form. The prescription label on the bottle must be CURRENT. A new prescription container with correct labeling is required for any dosage change. The school cannot alter dosages without a new authorization form from you and/or your doctor/healthcare provider. At the designated time, the student will go to the clinic to take the medication. Assistance/supervision by the school clinic personnel will be given in accordance with the instructions on the authorization form. Medication is a parental responsibility. Fulton County School System employees will not assume any liability for supervising or administering medication. Fulton County School System retains the privilege of refusing to supervise/assist in administering medication, except where otherwise required by law.
4. Discontinued medication should be retrieved from the school office/clinic within one week after the medication is discontinued. Unused medication should be picked up by the end of the school year. Discontinued or unused medication left in the clinic at the end of the school year will be discarded.
AUTHORIZATION FOR STUDENTS TO CARRY A PRESCRIPTION, INHALER, EPIPEN, INSULIN OR OTHER APPROVED MEDICATION SHS-2 FORM
If you have a student who has asthma, a severe allergy or another health-related condition that requires self-administration of medication, or needs to carry an emergency medication (Epipen, Diastat, inhaler, glucagon, etc.), or if a student has an approved legitimate reason to carry a medication on his/her person, you must complete and submit to the school clinic an Authorization for Students to Carry a Prescription, Inhaler, Epipen, Insulin, or Other Approved Medication SHS-2 Form. You may obtain a form from your child’s school. This form requires a physician, parent/guardian, and student signature if the medication is a prescription medication. You are strongly encouraged to keep a "back-up" supply of any emergency medications such as an inhaler, Epipen, Diastat, Diabetes medication, etc. in the school clinic. For further instructions, please call or visit your school clinic. Over-the-Counter (OTC) medications have different requirements. Elementary School students must store all OTC medications in the clinic, which may only be administered with parental permission (use form SHS-1); Middle School students may carry Fulton County approved medications with them during the school day, on field trips or during other school-related activities, if parental permission is provided in advance on the district approved form (Form SHS-2). High School students may carry Fulton County approved medications with them during the school day, field trips or other school-related activities and no form is necessary.
Fulton County approved medications: acetaminophen, antacids, aspirin, cough or throat lozenges, ibuprofen, midol and oral antihistamines
IMMUNIZATIONS
For enrollment in Fulton County Schools System, ALL certificates of immunization must be marked "Complete for Attendance" or have a future expiration date. Expired certificates are unacceptable. Effective July 1, 2014, all 7th grade students who were born on or after January 1, 2002 and for new students grade 8-12 who are entering into a Georgia school for the first time or entering after having been absent from a Georgia school for more than twelve months (or one school year) will be required to have 1 dose of Tdap and 1 dose of Meningococcal Vaccine. There are also specific immunization requirements for Pre-K, Kindergarten, Rising Sixth Graders and all new students. Please contact your healthcare provider or local health department if you have questions. A detailed description of the immunization policies and changes can be found at http://dph.georgia.gov/vaccines-children and can also be found on Fulton County’s website at www.fultonschools.org. The parent/guardian is responsible for securing and maintaining a copy of the mandated Georgia Public Health 3231 Immunization Form, and the Vision, Hearing, Dental and Nutritional Screening Form 3300. Students who are not compliant with Georgia’s immunization requirements will be excluded from school until the appropriate or updated certificate/form is submitted as specified by law.
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
In the event of an emergency, we want to ensure we are adequately prepared to appropriately care for your student if we had to "shelter-in-place" or stay at school for an extended period of time. This is a precaution aimed at keeping our students and staff safe during an emergency. If your student requires any medication, especially emergency medications, whether they are scheduled to take it during school hours or not, or if your student requires a special medical procedure, please alert the school clinic so you can plan accordingly. We certainly want to make sure we stock-pile (have an adequate supply) any emergency medication(s) your student may need if they have to be sheltered-in-place. Should the decision ever be made to shelter-in-place, information will be provided to you from your student’s school as well as the district and local authorities. It is important for you to follow instructions from the school district and local authorities so you will know what to do if we are advised to shelter-in-place. Feel free to visit Ready.gov for more information about how you can prepare for an emergency.
By working together, we can strive to ensure the health and well-being of every student so that he/she can benefit from the education program. Should you have any questions or need additional information, please contact your Cluster Nurse, Special Education Nurse, Clinic Assistant, or call the Office of Student Health Services at 470-254-2177.
Thank you.