SCHOOL HEALTH DECEMBER 2022
From Nurse Rose
WINTER BREAK IS COMING!!
December is here and plans are underway for winter break! Do you have plans to travel and visit family? Are you having family or friends come to your home?
Gatherings during the upcoming holidays can be an opportunity to reconnect with family and friends. As you make plans for the holiday, take care to keep all family members safe and healthy.
Ways to Have a Healthy Holiday Season
Brighten the holidays by making your health and safety a priority. Take steps to keep you and your loved ones safe and healthy—and ready to enjoy the holidays.
- Wash hands often to help prevent the spread of germs. It’s flu season. Wash your hands with soap and clean running water for at least 20 seconds.
- Bundle up to stay dry and warm. Wear appropriate outdoor clothing: light, warm layers, gloves, hats, scarves, and waterproof boots.
- Manage stress. Give yourself a break if you feel stressed out, overwhelmed, and out of control. Some of the best ways to manage stress are to find support, connect socially, and get plenty of sleep.
- Fasten seat belts while driving or riding in a motor vehicle. Always buckle your children in the car using a child safety seat, booster seat, or seat belt according to their height, weight, and age. Buckle up every time, no matter how short the trip and encourage passengers to do the same.
- Get exams and screenings. Ask your health care provider what exams you need and when to get them. Update your personal and family history.
- Get your vaccinations. Vaccinations help prevent diseases and save lives. Everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine each year.
- Monitor children. Keep potentially dangerous toys, food, drinks, household items, and other objects out of children’s reach. Protect them from drowning, burns, falls, and other potential accidents.
- Practice fire safety. Most residential fires occur during the winter months, so don’t leave fireplaces, space heaters, food cooking on stoves, or candles unattended. Have an emergency plan and practice it regularly.
- Prepare food safely. Remember these simple steps: Wash hands and surfaces often, avoid cross-contamination, cook foods to proper temperatures and refrigerate foods promptly.
- Eat healthy, stay active. Eat fruits and vegetables which pack nutrients and help lower the risk for certain diseases. Limit your portion sizes and foods high in fat, salt, and sugar. Also, be active for at least 2½ hours a week and help kids and teens be active for at least 1 hour a day.
-From the CDC
MEDICATIONS AT SCHOOL
Please note the following Plano ISD Medication Policy:
https://www.pisd.edu/Page/1698
Medication at School
Medication Policy and Procedures
1. Any prescription or over the counter medication must be accompanied by a completed Medication Administration Request Form and turned in to the school nurse.
Medication Authorization Form - English PDF file (288 KB)
Medication Authorization Form- Español PDF file (103 KB)
2. Medications are considered to be any pills, liquids, inhalers, sprays, eye drops, ear drops, cough drops or topically applied creams or ointments that are expected to relieve symptoms.
3. Only medications that cannot be given at home will be given at school.
4. For student safety, all medication should be brought to the clinic by a parent/guardian; however, controlled substances, such as medication for ADD/ADHD and some prescription pain medications MUST be brought to the clinic and counted / signed in by the parent/guardian. Contact your campus nurse if you are not sure.
5. It is recommended that the first dose of any medication be given at home where the parent can monitor the effects.
6. Written permission from parents and physician is required for students to carry and self-administer medications. Only insulin, asthma reliever inhalers or emergency epinephrine, will be allowed as self-carry medications. All other medications must be administered by the nurse.
7. Intramuscular injections (IM) will only be administered in life-threatening situations per physician emergency action plans. Intravenous (IV) medications will not be given.
8. Prescription medication must be in the original labeled pharmacy container and will be administered in compliance with the prescription instructions printed on the label.
9. Homeopathic medications, dietary supplements and herbal supplements will be given if all of the following requirements are met:
- All the above must be supplied by the parent and accompanied by written permission.
- Medications/supplements must be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and appear in the United States Pharmacopeia.
- Medications/supplements must be in their original, properly labeled container.
- Only medications/supplements that cannot be given at home will be given at school.
- A written request will be required from a physician or other healthcare professional with authority to write prescriptions to administer approved non-prescription, homeopathic medications, herbal substances or dietary supplements when such medications are to be administered at school.
- Will be given in compliance with a student's Individual Education Plan or 504 plan in accordance with Federal and State law.
10. Traditional over the counter medications will be given if all of the following requirements are met:
- The medication must be supplied by the parent and accompanied by written permission.
- Medications must be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and appear in the United States Pharmacopeia.
- Medications must be in their original, properly labeled container and labeled for dosage appropriate to the student’s age and / or weight..
- Only medications that cannot be given at home will be given at school.
- A written request will be required from a physician or other healthcare professional with authority to write prescriptions to administer approved non-prescription medications for (10) consecutive school days or more.
11. Expired medications will not be given.
12. Medications stored in the school clinic must be picked up by the parent/guardian before the last day of school. No unused medication will be sent home with a student and any unused medication left at the end of the school year will be destroyed.
PREVENT THE FLU!
If your family members have not had a flu vaccine yet, NOW IS THE TIME!!
DID YOU KNOW?
- Getting a flu vaccine is the first and most important step to prevent the flu.
- Flu vaccines will not prevent COVID-19, but they will reduce the burden of flu illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths on the health care system and conserve scarce medical resources for the care of people with COVID-19.
- Children younger than 6 months are at high risk of serious flu illness, but are too young to be vaccinated. People who care for infants should be vaccinated instead.
- People at high risk of serious flu complications include young children, pregnant women, people with certain chronic health conditions like asthma, diabetes or heart and lung disease and people 65 years and older. Many people at higher risk from flu also seem to be at higher risk from COVID-19.
- For more information, see: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/prevention.htm
- Flu Guide for Parents: The Flu: A Guide for Parents (pisd.edu)
CDC Recommends COVID-19 Vaccines for Young Children
From the CDC:
Since June, 18, 2022, the CDC recommends that all children 6 months through 5 years of age receive a COVID-19 vaccine. This expands eligibility for vaccination to nearly 20 million additional children and means that all Americans ages 6 months and older are now eligible for vaccination.
Parents and caregivers can now get their children 6 months through 5 years of age vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines to better protect them from COVID-19. All children, including children who have already had COVID-19, should get vaccinated.
COVID-19 vaccines have undergone—and will continue to undergo—the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history. Parents and caregivers can play an active role in monitoring the safety of these vaccines by signing their children up for v-safe – personalized and confidential health check-ins via text messages and web surveys where they can easily share with CDC how a child feels after getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
Distribution of pediatric vaccinations for these younger children has started across the country, and will be available at thousands of pediatric practices, pharmacies, Federally Qualified Health Centers, local health departments, clinics, and other locations this week. Children in this younger age group can be vaccinated with whichever vaccine is available (either Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech). Parents can reach out to their doctor, nurse, local pharmacy, or health department, or visit vaccines.gov to see where vaccines for children are available.
From the CDC.