Nurse

The control of communicable ("catching") disease during the school year is a difficult problem and a parent/guardian responsibility.  The first responsibility must fall upon the home as parents know the normal appearance of their children and should be the first to detect signs of illness.  The symptoms of a cold are also often the symptoms of the communicable diseases.

The following rules will help control communicable diseases in the community.  Please keep this sheet at a convenient location for reference.

• Do not send your child if he/she shows signs of illness.
• Do not send a sick child to school for the nurse to decide whether he/she should be in school.  If in doubt, call the family physician.
• If your child is sick, keep other children away from him/her.
• Some of the signs and symptoms of acute illness are:
  • Restlessness at night
  • Diarrhea
  • Fever (oral temp 100.0 +)
  • Red, watery eyes
  • Running nose
  • Flushed face or paleness
  • Sneezing and coughing
  • Headache
  • Rash
  • Swelling neck or face
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Earache
• If there is any doubt, call the family physician.
• DO NOT GIVE YOUR CHILD FEVER MEDICATION AND SEND THEM TO SCHOOL.  THEY REMAIN CONTAGIOUS UNTIL FEVER IS GONE WITHOUT THE USE OF MEDICATION.  WHEN THEIR FEVER RETURNS AT SCHOOL YOU WILL BE CALLED TO COME AND GET THEM.  THEY MAY NOT REMAIN AT SCHOOL. 
  • Gecko Corral will not accept a child who had a fever or was sent home with a fever the previous day. 
  • KEEP YOUR CHILD HOME UNTIL THEIR TEMPERATURE HAS BEEN NORMAL FOR 24  HOURS WITHOUT USING A FEVER REDUCER TO DECREASE THEIR FEVER.  Normal temperature is about 98.6°F.  Take your child's temperature at mid‑afternoon each day if you suspect it is above normal.  Continue this process until the temperature is normal for a whole day; then, the child can return to school if no other symptoms of illness are present.  ANY CHILD SENT HOME WITH A FEVER MAY NOT RETURN THE NEXT DAY. 
• Any child with a rash that has not been diagnosed should remain out of school until all symptoms are gone or a physician verifies the child is not contagious and is well enough to return to school.

Immunization Clinics

Per Arizona law, ARS 15-873, children without a complete immunization record on file WILL NOT be allowed to attend public school.

Below are links to the Schedule of Immunizations for preschool and Kindergarten through 12th grade.  In order to register your child for school you must provide an up-to-date immunization record to the Health Office.  Your pediatrician can provide you with the most current record.  

• Required Immunizations 0 to 5 years
• Required immunizations K to 12 the grade

Key Times for Booster Shots:

• 4-5 years old--often referred to as Kindergarten Shots
  • May be given as early as 4 years old, but MUST be given before entry into Kindergarten
  • MMR, Polio, Chicken Pox, and Dtap
• 11 years old--must be given at or after the 11th birthday, not before. 
  • Proof of immunizations must be provided to the Health Office by their 12th birthday or your child will be excluded from school.
  • Meningococcal
  • Tdap

Updated immunization records must be on file in the Health Office.

Exemption forms, if you choose not to vaccinate, can be obtained from the Nurse.  

Current update about MCDPH shot clinics: Immunization clinic update

State Law  Requires:

ALL medications at school must be kept in the Nurse's Office.  This includes over-the-counter (OCT) meds such as cough drops, herbal remedies, sore throat spray, allergy nasal sprays,  short-term use antibiotics, and every medication.  

• The reason for this strict policy is to prevent these medicines from falling into the wrong hands, by design or accident.
• The nurse does not keep a store of common medications to give to your child.
• Medications cannot be checked into and out of the Health Office each day.  This leads to confusion and results in the medication not being at school or home when it is needed.

OVER-THE-COUNTER (OTC) MEDICATIONS 

The nurse will keep OTC medication in the health office for your children. 

They will be locked in a special area for your child(ren) only and will be given as per label instructions.

ALL MEDICATIONS MUST BE IN THEIR ORIGINAL CONTAINER, NO ZIPLOCK BAGS.  The bottle does not have to be new, just labeled properly so it is known what is being administered.

PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS, INCLUDING INHALERS AND EPI-PENS

Prescription Medications require at least one form to be signed by your MD.  The form for all prescription medications is below.  Print this and have it signed by the prescribing MD.  This form must be brought to the Health Office, with the medication, by an adult  (any adult listed on your pink information sheet).  Do not send medication in your child's backpack; it will not be accepted, and it will not be administered to your child.  If your child goes to Gecko Corral before school, a Gecko Corral employee will accept the signed form and the medication.  

The medication must have a prescription label attached to it.  For inhalers and epi-pens, bring the box with the label attached.  Pharmacies will give you a "school bottle" with a duplicate prescription label if you are only giving a portion of the medication.  

The prescription label must be in the name of the person to receive it.  The nurse cannot give medications to a child if they are prescribed to a parent or sibling.

• Doctor's Order for Prescription Medication
• Parent Permission for Medication at School

MEDICATION REFILLS

An adult must bring refills of all medication to the Health Office or to Gecko Corral if you drop your child off early.

This medication must also come labeled with the prescription.  Bring it in your home bottle and count out what you wish to leave with the nurse.  Medication not in its labeled prescription bottle will not be accepted or administered.

MEDICATION FOR SPECIFIC CONDITIONS 

The paperwork for specific conditions, such as Asthma, Diabetes, and Allergies requiring an Epi-pen, can be found on the "Medical Conditions" tab.

Who:

• Hearing and vision screenings are done on all new (to the district) students, kindergarten, 1st grade, 3rd grade, 5th grade, and all students who receive services through the Special Education Department.  Parents and teachers can request a screening for any student at any time when a concern arises. 

When:

• Vision and hearing screenings for Desert Sage students are done in the fall, usually within the first month of school. 

Why:

• These screenings are not a diagnosis, but rather an indication that further screening and evaluation by your child's doctor is recommended.  Vision referral letters are sent home to notify parents if the students have difficulties with any portion of the screening.  Students who have difficulty with an initial hearing screening will be tested again in 30 days and, if still having problems, will be referred to an audiologist.  Parents will be notified with a referral letter.  We have a district audiologist who will see students at no cost.

Influenza (flu) is a respiratory illness that is contagious and caused by the influenza viruses. Flu season can vary and may start as early as October and continue through as late as May. We usually see it peak between December and February. Certain groups of people are at high risk for serious complications of the flu, including older people, young children, and people who have certain health conditions. Each year there is an immunization for influenza (flu) that helps to prevent infection. Click on the link below for an easy-to-read chart that outlines the difference between a common cold and the flu. If you would like more information on influenza (flu) you may also find the information provided by the CDC helpful; just click on the link below.

• Cold vs. Flu Know the Difference
• More information on the flu from the CDC

What to look for?

Head lice are gray, brown, or white and are small and difficult to see.  Nits may be seen even though live bugs may not be seen.  Each female lays many eggs a day.  The eggs are generally laid very close to the scalp on the hair shaft.  Eggs hatch within a week, and the lice crawl on the hair and lay more eggs.  Head lice feed by sucking blood. Itching and sores develop.  Lice can fall on furniture or bedding. Other persons using these articles can be exposed to head lice.  Head lice are usually passed from person to person by using the same combs and brushes of infested persons.

How do I find head lice? Now what do I do?

1. Part the hair in several places. Look especially in the regions behind the ears and near the neck.  Lice move very fast and, therefore, are often difficult to see. However, nits (eggs) can be easier to find.  Nits are very small, brown to white, pinhead‑sized droplets on the hair near the scalp.  If you pass your finger over the nit, it does not slide off the hair easily.  (Do not confuse nits with dandruff.)
2. Inspect every family member for lice, treating only one person may not get rid of the problem.
3. If lice or nits are found, call your doctor. There are several prescription and non‑prescription shampoos available such as NIX, KWELL, A‑200 PYRINATE, or RID.  Treat all family members at the same time.  The nits (eggs) must be removed by hand.  The nits are easier to remove if a half‑and‑half solution of vinegar and water rinse is used on the hair after treatment. 
4. Wash all bed linens, towels, combs, brushes, and clothing that may be infested.
5. Vacuum carpeting and furniture. House sprays are not indicated.
6. Notify your child's playmates.

Head Lice Check List:

1. Identify lice.

2. Treat lice in all family members.
3. Treat combs and brushes.
4. Wash clothing and bed linens.
5. Notify your child's playmates.
6. Vacuum carpeting and furniture.
7. Recheck the head in 8‑10 days and RETREAT if there is any evidence of lice.

            A second treatment is recommended 8‑10 days after the first treatment to kill newly hatched lice.  The other alternative would be to remove all nits, but such attempts are often not 100% successful.  Removing nits is difficult since they are securely cemented to hair shafts, and a few may be overlooked in thick hair.  (Removal of nits is required for the students to return to the classroom in this school district.)

            The timing of the second treatment is critical.  The pediculicide shampoo should be applied 8‑10 days after the first treatment.  Applying the second treatment sooner would probably be a waste of time and money.  Waiting 8 days allows all remaining viable eggs to hatch, and these hatched crawling lice are generally more susceptible to the shampoo than are the eggs.  However, none of the newly hatched lice will reach reproductive age before the second treatment, and therefore no new eggs will be deposited.

The above information is from recommendations provided by the Maricopa County Health Department and the Arizona Department of Health Services.

IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT ANY NEW CASE OF HEADLICE BE REPORTED TO THE SCHOOL NURSE SO THAT OTHER POSSIBLE EXPOSURES CAN BE CHECKED AND OTHER PARENTS ALERTED FOR ANY CONTINUED OUTBREAK.  Be assured that the school nurse makes every effort to maintain the confidentiality of known cases.

If you have any questions, you may call the school nurse or your family physician.

If your child has evidence of head lice:

Our district has a "no nit" (lice egg) requirement in order for your child to return to school.  Proper treatment with appropriate shampoo or rinse labeled for controlling lice and removal of all eggs is necessary before your child may return.

Treatment will not kill every egg.  Egg casings will remain on the hair shaft after treatment.  Therefore, it is necessary to remove each egg or "nit" before the child returns to school.  Since each egg could hatch and mature into an egg‑laying female, which could lay up to 500 eggs during its life cycle, the removal of all eggs helps to ensure the eradication of these human pests. 

Your child may not attend school or ride the school bus until he/she has been cleared by the School Nurse.

To have your child readmitted to school you must:

• Treat with the proper product as per guidelines.
• Be sure all eggs have been removed from the child's hair.
• A responsible adult must bring your child to school. Do not send them to school unattended. Remember children determined to have had lice cannot ride the school bus until they have been cleared by the School Nurse. Your child must report directly to the Nurse's Office after 8:30 a.m. Do not send your child to his/her regular classroom. Accompanying adult must remain until the child has been checked by the nurse and determined to be able to return to class. If any live lice or eggs are found, the child must be taken back home immediately to complete the elimination of lice or eggs.

Pediculosis (head lice) is not a disease, and with proper treatment, your child should be able to return to school within one or two days.

Call the School Nurse at 623-445-4710 if you have any questions.

Printable forms:

• Head Lice Policy
• Head lice, what am I looking for?