Health Services

Welcome Back Elementary School! 2024-25

Dear NAPS Families,

Welcome back!! We are so excited to see your children back this fall and looking forward to working together with your family to keep your child healthy while at school! We’d like to oer some information that will be helpful as you transition back to school this fall.

Illness

Please do not send your student to school if symptoms of contagious illness, Students with strep throat, impetigo, conjunctivitis, or other infectious conditions must receive 24 hours of medication prior to returning to school. Students must be free of fever, vomiting, and diarrhea without medication for 24 hours before returning to school. Here is a link for the reasons for dismissal/exclusion.

Screenings

Health Screenings: Annual health screenings are done as mandated by the state of Massachusetts. If you choose to opt out of any of the health screenings, a signed letter must be sent annually to the health oce. Please use this link for more information about what grades will be doing which Health Screenings.

Medications

ALL medications need to be brought in by an adult and in an original container with a pharmacy label. ALL MEDICATIONS MUST BE GIVEN WITH A SIGNED ORDER, BY THE CHILD’S PHYSICIAN FOR EACH MEDICATION.

Daily Medications taken during school hours: Medications which must be taken during school hours on a long-term basis require a signed and completed physician’s order as well as parent consent, found here. Please contact your school nurse for details if your child will take daily medications at school.

Inhalers for Asthma: Students may leave their inhalers in the health oce. Medical orders are necessary from your MD. Here is the link for the medical Asthma Action Plans, for inhalers.

EpiPens: If a student has been prescribed an EpiPen, we also store them in the Health Oce. One is also kept at KidStop/Breakfast Club, if needed. All students who are prescribed an EpiPen will require a completed, and signed, Food Allergy Emergency Action Plan with physician orders found here. EpiPens and doctor’s orders may be dropped o by the parent/guardian on the first few days of School (Aug 26-August 30).

Please feel free to contact your school nurse with any questions you may have, and we look forward to the upcoming school year!

Sincerely,
Your Elementary School Nurses

Newsletters

Allergies

A bitmoji version of the school nurse sneezing

As Allergy Season quickly approaches, it is important to remember to stock up on physician recommended allergy medications and to start them NOW. Many allergy symptoms can be the same as COVID-19 symptoms, and will be especially hard to manage when mask wearing is involved. It will be important to recognize when symptoms are allergy related so that we can avoid dismissing students and referring for Covid testing unnecessarily.

Symptoms include itchy eyes and skin, sneezing, nasal congestion, wheezing, and rash. Seasonal allergies can result from grass, weed, tree pollen, or molds. Cat and dog dander allergies are also common. There are many options for over the counter medications (both oral and eye drops) that if administered daily can help manage uncomfortable allergy symptoms.

If you anticipate that your child will be experiencing seasonal allergy symptoms this spring, please ask their pediatrician for a note so that we have record of their diagnosis and any medications they may be taking.

COVID Symptoms & Guidelines

We are all connected and we rely on one another to stay well. If you are experiencing any illness or symptoms, you must stay at home.

Below is the full list of symptoms for which caregivers should monitor their children, and staff should monitor themselves.

Fever (100.0° Fahrenheit or higher), chills or shaking chills
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
New loss of taste or smell
Muscle aches or body aches
Cough (not due to other known causes, such as a chronic cough)
Sore throat, when in combination with other symptoms
Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea when in combination with other symptoms
Headache when in combination with other symptoms
Fatigue, when in combination with other symptoms
Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as allergies) when in combination with other symptoms

Covid Testing

A list of test sites is available here, and Massachusetts also has an interactive testing map. If they are tested and receive positive results please notify your school nurse ASAP. You should also contact your child’s primary care provider for further instruction.

Health Screenings

Schools are required by Massachusetts General Law to provide health screenings for students (M.G.L. Chapter 71, Section 57 and 105 CMR 200.000) and follow up with the results of these screenings with families and referrals to primary health care providers as necessary. Any parent may opt out of specific screenings by submitting a written request to the school nurse. Please use the link below for more details on grade level health screening information.

NAPS Health Screening Information

Erin Callahan

Nurse

MS, RN

When should you keep your child home from school? Please see the:

Reasons for Dismissal/Exclusion

Search Health Topics