Carver Elementary School Health Offices

What do I do if my student is staying home from school?

All absences MUST be reported to the school nurse by emailing cesabsent@carver.org. 

Please include the following in your email:  student's first and last name, grade level, and reason for the absence. 

Medical providers may fax CES school nurses directly through our designated confidential Health Office FAX: (508)-866-2922

• All medications  (prescription and over-the-counter (OTC)) must be accompanied by:

  • A physician’s medication order 

  • A parental consent must be completed for each medication. 

• Please have your healthcare provider fill out an Action Plan for any significant chronic conditions such as Allergy, Asthma, Seizure, Diabetes, etc. 

• Action plans for chronic health conditions, medication orders, and parental consent forms must be renewed each school year.

• Families of students with Life-Threatening Food Allergies, please fill out Food Allergy Health History Form.

• Your provider may use the Carver Public Schools Health Forms or one from his/her own practice.

•  Medical providers may fax CES school nurses directly through our designated confidential Health Office FAX: (508)-866-2922

•  All medications must be in a pharmacy labeled container. Please ask your pharmacist for a second bottle when you fill the prescription. 

• OTC medications must be in the original packaging.

• No more than a 30-day supply of medication may be stored at school. 

• MEDICATION DELIVERY: An adult must bring the medication to school for delivery to the school nurse. 

  1. If the family has not yet been in contact with the nurse via phone or email regarding the student's medication, or has additional questions/concerns, please consider contacting nurse via email or phone (see contact info below) in advance of arrival to CES, as nurses are often actively caring for students during the school day.

  2. To protect student privacy, please place all forms and medication in an opaque container, such as an envelope or brown paper bag, and label "For School Nurse "

  3. Upon arrival to school, the adult should tell the front office security staff they are here to deliver medication.

     1. If an in-person meeting with nurse is needed at med delivery for med quantity verification or other reason, please arrange an appointment time in advance for an in-person meeting with the nurse, ideally between 8:30AM-11AM, or 1:30PM-2PM.  Tell the front office staff that a meeting with nurse is needed, and state the appointment time. The School nurse will come out to meet with parent/guardian. (Please keep in mind that it may be a few minutes wait if nurse is busy caring for students in the clinic.) 

     2. If family has already discussed student medication, forms, etc. with nurse, and does not need to meet with the nurse,  the front office staff will retrieve packet for nurse and deliver it directly to health office. 

• Medications remaining at the end of the school year must be picked up by parent/guardian by the last day of school, and cannot be stored at CES over the summer.

Contagious Illness. Students dismissed from school with fever may return to school when they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours (without the aid of fever-reducing medicines such as tylenol/ibuprofen). 

Students dismissed from school with gastrointestinal illness may return to school when they have been free from symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea for at least 24 hours. 

For contagious illnesses requiring antibiotic medication, students may return to school 24 hours after initiating treatment. Please inform the nurse of the diagnosis. For serious illness, please refer to the physician's instructions to return to school and activities.

Injuries. If a child has an injury that requires an orthopedic device such as crutches, cast, walking boot, splint, sling, etc., a note from the physician must accompany the child when returning to school. Such notifications should clearly detail all restrictions and identify the date when participation in the physical education program may resume. Our confidential health office fax number is 508-866-2922, and providers may fax to us directly.

Written notification from a parent is required when it is necessary to excuse a child from physical education.  If the child is to be excused for more than one PE class, a note from the physician is required.

Absences.   Any child who has been absent must bring a note, or the parent/guardian should email cesabsent@carver.org. The parent/guardian should specify why the child was absent, indicating the specific type of illness so outbreaks of common illness can be monitored.  

Medication Policy.   Carver Elementary School encourages parents/guardians, whenever possible, to administer medications before and/or after school. Medications (prescription and over-the-counter) needed during school hours require a physician’s order and written consent from the parent/guardian. Medications must be transported by an adult to the school nurse. (Students are not allowed to carry medication to the school.) 

A current physical exam, complete immunization record, and lead screening are required for all students entering preschool and Kindergarten, as well as for students transferring into the district.  Massachusetts School Health Record 

While updated physicals are required at least every 3 years, it is recommended to share a copy of your student's annual wellness exam with the School Health Office to ensure continuity of care.

School nurses conduct Massachusetts Mandatory Screenings annually, which include vision for all grades,  hearing for grades K-3, BMI for grades 1 and 4, and postural screening for grade 5. (*Families who have provided documentation of BMI or postural screening by their child's medical provider on a current school year physical exam may opt-out of in-school screening  by written request to the school nurse.)

2023-2024 Massachusetts Immunization Requirements

ALL STUDENTS are strongly encouraged to receive  Seasonal Influenza Vaccine

CDC info for Parents/Guardians on Vaccine-Preventable Illness  

Pre-School and Kindergarten Entrance Requirements  also include Lead Screening 

Please forward documentation of updated immunization records to Health Office (see contact info below).

 Medical providers may fax CES school nurses directly through our designated confidential Health Office FAX: (508)-866-2922