When should I keep my child at home instead of sending them to school?

Releases of information allow appropriate school staff (typically school nurse, psychologist or administrators) to obtain mental and physical health related records as well as discuss health concerns, treatments and care while at school with student’s health care provider.  Parent must sign and date any release of information and may revoke the release at any time.

Release of Information (Typically works for most providers, except The Children's Hospital and North Range Behavioral Health)

The Children's Hospital

North Range Behavioral Health

Physical Forms (To be completed by health care provider)

Medication administration at school require authorization from a licensed health care provider (MD, DO, PA or advanced practice RN) and signed parent permission.  Medication must be provided by the parent/guardian in an individual pharmacy labeled bottle for the student who is to receive it.  Medication will be given as directed on the pharmacy label and according to health care provides' specific orders. 

Forms (Physician completes and signs)

For the safety of all students with asthma, the health office requests a signed health care plan from your health care provider along with an inhaler for school use.  Typically, middle and high school students who are proficient users of inhalers may “self-carry” their inhaler with signed health care plan from physician, parent and approval of school nurse.  However, a second inhaler is requested to be stored in the health office.  

For the safety of all students with diabetes, we require a health care plan with instructions about how to care for the student.    

• In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin because the cells that make insulin in the pancreas have been destroyed. A person with type1 diabetes needs insulin shots to use the glucose from their food. Type I diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, and was previously known as juvenile diabetes. Only 5% of people with diabetes have this form of the disease. With the help of insulin therapy and other treatments, even young children with type 1 diabetes can learn to manage their condition and live long, healthy, happy lives.

   
• In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the body’s cells ignore the insulin. Some people with type 2 diabetes need diabetes pills or insulin shots to help their bodies use glucose for energy. Insulin cannot be taken as a pill because it would be broken down during digestion just like the protein in food.  It must be injected into the fat under your skin for it to get into your blood.

When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, it can lead to diabetes complications including serious long term problems with eyes (glaucoma, cataracts), feet (neuropathy, numbness), skin (infections),increased risk for heart disease, high blood pressure (heart attack, stroke, kidney disease), mental health disorder.

Emergent and potentially life threatening conditions include hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia.  Hyperglycemia occurs when blood glucose levels get too high, however glucose cannot get into cells to be used for energy so stores of fat are converted for energy, causing ketones to build up quickly in the blood, potentially causing ketoacidosis (DKA). Hypoglycemia occurs when the blood glucose gets too low(typically because of too much insulin injected, or not enough food eaten). The brain can only function on glucose and if there is no glucose in the blood, you could pass out. If a diabetic passes out, they will need immediate treatment, such as an injection of glucagon or emergency treatment in a hospital.

Source: American Diabetes Association http://www.diabetes.org/

For the safety of all students with severe allergies, the health office requests a signed health care plan from your health care provider along with an antihistamine and/or epipen for school use.  In extreme cases, middle and high school students who have proficient knowledge of anaphylaxis may “self-carry” an epipen with signed health care plan from the health care provider, parent, and approval of school nurse.  However, a second epipen and antihistamine is requested to be stored in the health office.       

Allergy and Anaphylaxis Action Plan and Medication Orders

Self Carry Contract

Special Dietary Needs

A number of different allergens are responsible for allergic reactions. The most common include:

Food Allergies - your immune system overreacts to a particular protein found in that food. Many food allergies are diagnosed in young children, though allergies may also appear in older children and adults. There’s no cure for food allergies; however, many children outgrow food allergies. Allergic reactions usually occur within a few minutes of eating the trigger food, though reactions can sometimes appear a few hours later. If you believe you or your child may have a food allergy, consult an allergist or immunologist who can order tests to determine whether it’s a food allergy, food intolerance, or something else. Some symptoms of intolerance and allergies are similar, but the differences between the two conditions are important. If you have a food intolerance, eating the food can leave you feeling miserable. With a true food allergy, your body’s reaction to the food could be life-threatening. The main symptoms include hives, “throat closing, ”and difficulty breathing.

Eight foods responsible for most allergic reactions:

• Cow’s milk • Eggs • Fish • Peanuts • Shellfish • Soy • Tree nuts• Wheat

REAP Manual: 

Informational Video with Illustrations: 

An Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) is any type of damage to the brain acquired after birth. ABIs are classified as either:

· Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) - a blow or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the function of the brain. Not all blows or jolts to the head result in a TBI. The severity of such an injury may range from “mild,” i.e., a brief change in mental status or consciousness to “severe,” i.e., an extended period of unconsciousness or amnesia after the injury. A TBI can result in short or long-term problems with independent function.

The REAP Project is a TBI Trust Fund Education grant between Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children/Health One Emergency Departments and four school districts. The REAP Project is the culmination of a study funded by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) from 2004 to 2007. The results of the study were enlightening… the researchers found that the two most essential factors to good concussion management are: Education and Collaboration – essentially, good communication between a School Team, a Family Team and a Medical Team. As a result, the REAP Project has compiled all of the lessons learned into a manual to promote a Community-Based Approach to Concussion Management.

Seizure Action Plan (to be completed by physician)

• There are many different types of seizures. People may experience just one type or more than one. The kind of seizure a person has depends on which part and how much of the brain is affected by the electrical disturbance that produces seizures. The symptoms of a seizure may affect any part of the body. Most seizures last only a minute or two, although confusion afterwards may last longer. Experts divide seizures into generalized seizures (absence, atonic, tonic-clonic, myoclonic), partial (simple and complex) seizures, gelastic seizures, dacrystic seizures, non-epileptic seizures and statusepilepticus. Generally, the most frequent cause of an unexpected seizure is failure to take the medication as prescribed. Other factors include ingesting substances, hormone fluctuations, stress, sleep patterns and photosensitivity.

• While medications and other treatments help many people of all ages who live with epilepsy, more than a million people continue to have seizures that can severely limit their school achievements, employment prospects and participation in all of life's experiences. It strikes most often among the very young and the very old, although anyone can develop epilepsy at any age. In the U.S., it affects more than 300,000 children under the age of15--more than 90,000 of whom have seizures that cannot be adequately treated.

Source: Epilepsy Foundation http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/index.cfm

Lice  

District Lice Policy

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Bed Bugs