Special Health Services

A written Section 504 Plan is often a useful way to document that the school district engaged in a process to identify and address the needs of a student with a disability and to communicate, to school personnel, the information needed for successful implementation. Office of Civil Rights (OCR) encourages schools to document a student’s Section 504 services in a written plan to help avoid misunderstandings or confusion about what Section 504 services the school offered the student (U.S. Department of Education).

IHHS Website with more information/documents

School nurses create an IHP for select students with healthcare needs that, if not addressed, may negatively affect, or have the potential to affect, attendance and/or academic performance.  These students may have chronic health issues or have an acute alteration in their health status that may temporarily require specialized nursing care.  Priority for IHP development must be given to those students who require significant health services at school, have a medical diagnosis that may result in a health crisis, and/or students with health conditions addressed in a Section 504 Accommodation Plan or an Individualized Educational Program (Yonkaitis & Shannon, 2019).

Learners with a life-threatening condition or impairment may require special health management outlined in an Emergency Action Plan. Additionally, learners with ongoing health needs may require an Emergency Evacuation Plan to safely evacuate in case of crisis or disaster. 

The emergency action plan or emergency evacuation plan is written in the intervention portion of the IHP or in separate documents referenced in the IHP. The plan should include: learner demographics, condition or impairment, triggers (if applicable, e.g. flashing lights or loud sounds), signs or symptoms of an emergency, actions to be taken, and special written instructions staff need to know in plain language that can be easily understood by all school personnel (Health Services: Special Factor Considerations).