School Nurses ...

Support upwards of 2,000 children in WSESU schools with an outlook that embraces the importance of student engagement and health equity, and the unique role the school nurse plays in addressing these issues. Our approach to student wellness is one that incorporates the understanding that social determinants of health-poverty, homelessness, racism, food insecurity, access to healthcare, etc., are strong influencing factors for student success, engagement, health, and well-being within the school community. 

• • • Administer medications, provide first aid, manage chronic conditions, and promote health and wellness, and disease prevention. 

    • Follow the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children and Adolescents and Vermont's Standards of Practice for school nurses.   

    • Promote the medical/dental home model. Medical homes address preventative, acute, and chronic care from birth through transition to adulthood.  Bright Futures recommends that every child (age 3-21) receive a yearly physical examination and be screened for behavioral and psychosocial risks - an annual well care exam. In a thorough adolescent well care exam, a provider reinforces strengths/assets and helps the adolescent build resilience.  A visit with your provider for sickness or an injury is not a complete well care exam.

School Nurses...

Follow state health standards and WSESU policies in regards to medication administration. 

• • All medications must be stored in the health office in their original packaging or pharmacy bottle. 

  • Prescription medications need a doctor's order, and over-the-counter medications need parent permission. 

  • If your child needs to take medication at school, please return the completed form to the health office. 

  • Please ensure that any medication is brought to school by a parent or guardian and given directly to the school nurse or appropriate staff for medication administration. For the safety and well-being of the student body, students should not carry any medication on them unless there is an individualized health plan indicating otherwise. 

School Nurses...

Ensure that all students are in compliance with the Immunization standards established by the State of Vermont

• The purpose of the immunization requirements for school entry are to protect students, staff, and the visiting public against vaccine-preventable diseases within schools.  

• 24-25 School Year Immunization Requirements

• Child Care/Preschool Immunization Requirements 

• If your child has a medical or religious exemption for any vaccine you will need to fill out an exemption form ANNUALLY and return it to your child's health office.

•  State immunization statistics for our school can be found on the VDH site: state immunization stats

School Nurses...

Are responsible for maintaining the health and wellness of the school community. 

• Symptoms that may keep students home include: fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion, runny nose, nausea or vomiting, stomachache, and diarrhea.  

• We recommend staying in touch with your medical provider if your child is sick. If your child has a chronic condition with these symptoms, please get documentation from their provider.

• During the school day, students might need to go home if they have these symptoms or if they can’t participate in their learning. COVID testing may be available with parent or guardian permission.

• Before coming back to school, students should be fever-free for 24 hours without medicine and should show clear signs of improvement.  Contact the school nurse who will help with a return-to-school plan after any illness.

School Nurses...

Monitor all health related emergency action plans in order to maintain student safety and engagement. 

• Health related emergency action plans are important! These plans help school staff know what to do in an emergency to help keep your child safe.

• If your student has a health related emergency plan requiring an EpiPen ,inhaler, or other treatment plan, please speak to a nurse who will communicate with your medical provider and develop an emergency and/or anaphylaxis plan , asthma action plan, or seizure action plan

• If your child needs dietary accommodations please reach out to the school nurse and have your medical provider complete the special dietary statement.

•  Several WSESU schools meet the gold standard for an asthma friendly facility and use 28+ best practices. Part of this is ensuring schools have current and timely asthma action plans.  

• WSESU Nurses may obtain emergency health plans from providers. Below is an important excerpt from HIPAA/FERPA section of the American Academy of Pediatrics guidance:

"Under HIPAA, just as under FERPA, healthcare providers can share PHI with schools if they have a signed consent form, if the information is de-identified, and in an emergency. Health care providers are also allowed to share information about a patient’s location or condition with those responsible for a patient. And, they can share information with a school health provider for treatment purposes. For example, a student’s pediatrician may discuss the student’s emergency care plan with the school nurse responsible for caring for the student at school."

• The asthma action plan is an emergency related document and is necessary in the prevention of and early response to a potential emergency.  

School Nurses...

Promote the understanding that healthy eating helps kids grow, think clearly, and stay energetic and engaged in school. 

• Teach kids the importance of healthy eating habits and the benefits of good nutrition. 

• Collaborate with cafeteria staff to ensure necessary accommodations are made for students with food allergies.  

• Participate and develop nutrition initiatives that promote health eating the schools such as the farm to school program.   

School Nurses...

Monitor student health, ensuring their safety and ability to participate in athletics. 

• Student health is an essential part of athletic success.  Healthy athletes can perform better, recover faster, and get injured less often.  Eating right, staying hydrated, and getting enough sleep is crucial.  WSESU school nurses promote teaching around these efforts.  Sports clearance from a medical provider is required for students that are in 7th-12th grade. Well exam documentation is required.  

• If your child has experienced a concussion, it is important to inform the school nurse to ensure they receive proper care and accommodations as they recover.  The nurse will work with your child's teachers and athletic trainer to ensure a safe return to play plan.   

School Nurses...

Are available to support families in accessing health insurance. 

• • • We believe that in order to maximize the learning potential and the well-being of all children in Vermont, access to both health insurance and health care is critical!

    • Help is available with applying and accessing health care through VERMONT HEALTH CONNECT 

    • Call 1- 855-899-9600 or visit VermontHealthConnect.gov

    • A personal Health Assister is also available to help you find the right health coverage for your family through Vermont Assister Directory

• • • WSESU Nurses follow the recommendations of the Vermont Department of Health, American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Association of School Nurses, and the Centers for Disease Control to reduce the impact of head lice and to prevent missed instructional time for students. 

    • Head Lice are insects that live off blood from the scalp.  They crawl and don't hop or fly. They deposit tiny eggs that are smaller than a grain of rice.  

    • Head Lice infestation causes irritation and scratching but do not carry disease and can occur in all socioeconomic groups and do not represent poor hygiene.  

    • Head Lice incubation time is 7-12 days (laying to hatching eggs). Head lice live about 28 days.

    • Head Lice is spread through direct head-to-head contact with infested hair.  

    •  WSESU School encourage instituting the following classroom practices:

-Avoid hair-to-hair contact during play.

-Assign individual hooks for student belongings.

-Have students keep their hats inside their coat sleeves.

-Permanently assign resting mats, towels or pillows and keep separate while in use

or in storage.

-Discourage sharing of combs, brushes or hair ornaments.

-Limit the transporting of personal toys such as stuffed animals from home to school.

AAP treatment :

• • • Regular checks for head lice are a good way to spot head lice before they have time to multiply and infest (are present in large numbers) your child's head.

-Seat your child in a brightly lit room.

-Part their hair.

-Look for crawling lice and for nits on your child's scalp a section at a time.

-Live lice are hard to find. They avoid light and move quickly.

-Nits will look like small white or yellow-brown specks and be firmly attached to the hair near the scalp. The easiest place to find them is at the hairline at the back of the neck or behind the ears. Nits can be confused with many other things such as dandruff, dirt particles or hair spray droplets. The way to tell the difference is that nits are firmly attached to hair, while dandruff, dirt or other particles are not.

-Use a fine-tooth comb (such as a louse or nit comb) to help you search the scalp section by section.

What is the comb-out method for lice?

The comb-out method can be used to help check for nits and head lice or to help remove nits and head lice after head lice treatment. However, the comb-out method usually doesn't work on its own to get rid of head lice.

Here is how you use the comb-out method:

Step 1: Wet your child's hair.

Step 2: Use a fine-tooth comb (louse or nit comb) and comb through your child's hair in small sections.

Step 3: After each comb-through, wipe the comb on a wet paper towel. Examine the scalp, comb, and paper towel carefully.

Step 4: Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you've combed through all of your child's hair.

This cycle can repeat every 3 weeks if head lice are left untreated.

• Head Lice can be controlled by using medications that kill lice and nits. Below is a list of medications.  

Permethrin lotion (1%)-Nix, Elimite and Acticin, No prescription needed.

• Apply to shampooed and towel-dried hair; then rinse off after 10 minutes. Do not shampoo for 24-48 hours afterward.

• Kills lice; does not kill lice eggs.

• Retreatment is recommended between days 9 and 10 if live lice are seen.

• Approved for use in children 2 months and older.

Pyrethrin-based product (shampoo or hair mousse) RID, A-200, Pronto, R&C, Triple X and Licide,No prescription needed.

• Apply to dry hair and rinse off after 10 minutes. Do not shampoo for 24-48 hours afterwards.

• Kills lice; does not kill lice eggs.

• Retreatment is recommended between days 9 and 10.

• Approved for use in children 2 years and older.

Ivermectin lotion (0.5%) Sklice, No prescription needed.

• Apply to dry hair and rinse off after 10 minutes. Do not shampoo for 24-48 hours afterwards.

• Kills lice; does not kill lice eggs. However, prevents newly hatched lice from living.

• Only 1 application is needed.

• Do not use veterinary formulations of ivermectin.

• Approved for use in infants and children 6 months and older.

Malathion lotion (0.5%) Ovide, Prescription needed.

• Apply to dry hair and rinse off after 8–12 hours. Do not shampoo for 24-48 hours afterwards.

• Kills lice and lice eggs.

• A second treatment is recommended in 7–9 days if live lice are seen.

• Approved for use in children 6 years or older.

• Strong odor.

• Flammable.

Spinosad topical suspension (0.9%) Natroba, Prescription needed.

• Apply to dry hair and rinse off after 10 minutes. Do not shampoo for 24-48 hours afterwards.

• Kills lice and lice eggs.

• A second treatment is recommended in 7 days if live lice are seen.

• Approved for use in children 6 months of age and older.

Ivermectin 3-mg tablets, Prescription needed.

• Use only when other medications have failed.

• A second treatment is recommended in 9-10 days if live lice are seen.

• Can be used at any age, as long as weight is at least 33 pounds.

• Do not use veterinary formulations of ivermectin.

• Approved for use in adults for head lice, and used in children for other infections.