The School recognizes its responsibilities to help protect the health of students. Parents are required by state law to fill out an Emergency Medical Authorization Form. These are kept in the front office and used in emergencies.
Great Western Academy shall have on file for each student an emergency medical authorization form providing information from the parent(s) or guardian on how they wish the school to proceed in event of a health emergency involving the student and authorization for the school in case emergency action must be taken.
Your child must meet county and state health regulations for entrance to school. The school checks health records each year and will supply you with an immunization request form for necessary immunizations that your child needs. Students may be excluded from school if the immunization schedule is not completed within a reasonable period time after notification. Written statements of objection to immunizations due to parent’s or guardian’s religious reason are filed in the student’s health folders.
A student is also exempt if they present a physician’s statement that immunization is medically contraindicated. A signed statement of history of measles or mumps may be substituted for the measles or mumps vaccinations. However, a history of rubella may not be substituted for rubella vaccine.
Student Illness
When a student becomes ill at school, the parent will be notified to take the child home. Any student suspected of having a communicable disease will be referred to a physician for examination and recommendation for exclusion from school. Readmission will be allowed by a physician’s statement.
A child who is ill will not perform well at school, and may be exposing the other students in the classroom. Please keep your child home if any of these symptoms are present: a fever of 100 degrees or greater, an undiagnosed rash, an earache or draining ear, diarrhea or vomiting, severe sore throat, persistent or severe cough, persistent or severe headache, or a known communicable disease. If your child is sent home with a fever of 100 degrees or greater, they must be fever-free without medication for 24 hours before returning to school.
Please call by 9:00 a.m. on days your child is ill. You may call before the office opens and leave a message. When reporting student absences, please report any of the following communicable diseases: chicken pox, conjunctivitis (pink eye), fifth disease, hepatitis, influenza (fever, upper respiratory infection, headache, and body aches), measles, mumps, meningitis, strep throat, lice, ringworm, and scabies. This information is helpful in the control of illness among students.
Health Screenings
All kindergarten, first, third, and fifth graders will be screened for adequate vision and hearing. Referral forms will be mailed to parents when further evaluation by a physician is recommended.
Administering Medication
Students needing medication will be encouraged to receive the medication at home, if possible.
Each person or persons designated to administer any prescription or non-prescription medication will receive a statement signed by both parent/guardian and physician which includes all of the following information:
- Name and address of the student;
- Student’s teacher;
- The names and dose of the medication contained in the inhaler;
- Drug name and dosage to be administered;
- Times or intervals at which each dosage of drug is to be administered;
- Date on which drug administered begins;
- Date on which administration of drug ends;
- Written instructions that outline procedures school personnel should follow in the event that the medication does not produce the expected relief;
Any severe adverse reactions that should be reported to the physician and one or more telephone numbers at which the person who prescribed medication can be reached in emergencies.
Any severe adverse reactions that may occur to another child, for whom the medicine is not prescribed, should such a child receive a dose of the medication;
Special instructions for administering drug, including sterile conditions and storage.
It is the student’s responsibility to come to the office to receive medication. New authorization forms must be submitted at the beginning of each school year.
The parent/guardian agrees to submit a revised statement signed by the parent/guardian and physician if any of the information originally provided to the school changes.
Medication will be received at school in the container in which prescribing physician dispensed it or other licensed professional. Medication and dosage listed on the label must be identical to the authorization form. Parents are responsible for keeping a record of the amount of medication at school and for sending more when needed.
Students who self-administer (carry on their person) asthma inhalers or epinephrine must have the medication authorization form completed by physician and parent stating they may do this.
The person designated by the school will establish a location in the school to store drugs to be administered. All such drugs shall be stored in that location in a locked storage place. Drugs that require refrigeration may be kept in a refrigerator in a place not commonly used by students.
No person who has been authorized by the school to administer a drug and has a copy of the most recent statement which was given prior to administering the drug will be liable for administering or failing to administer the drug, unless such person acts in a manner constituting gross negligence or reckless misconduct.
Each medication that is given should be documented on the medication record form for the corresponding student.
The person giving medication should review the authorization form prior to administration for special instructions and possible side effects.
All school personnel must be informed that the administration of any drug (prescription or over-the-counter) without the order of the physician and the permission of the parent/guardian could be interpreted as practicing medicine and is prohibited by law.
All medication remaining in the building after the last day of school will be discarded.