General Information
Medications
As required by Ohio law and district policy, NO medications (prescription, over-the-counter, and herbal) are to be administered by school personnel WITHOUT PROPER AUTHORIZATION. A medication administration consent form must be filled out and signed by a physician AND parent BEFORE medication will be administered at school. The drug must be received by school authority in the container in which it was dispensed by the prescribing physician or licensed pharmacist. The nurse also needs to be notified of any medication changes, such as dosing or frequency.
Fever
If your child is sent home from school with a fever or has a fever the night before school, please keep your child home. A fever is considered any temperature of 100.0 or greater. Your child needs to be fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications, such as Tylenol or Motrin, before returning to school.
Vision and Hearing Screenings
Screening tests are performed throughout the school year to help identify possible health concerns. Grades included are as follows: pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th (vision only), 9th, and 11th. Children in other grade levels may be screened upon the referral of a parent or teacher. If your child fails a hearing and/or vision test, a referral letter will be sent home in a sealed envelope.
Head Lice
Unfortunately, during the school year, there will be occasional cases of head lice. This problem should not be a cause for shame or embarrassment because no individual or family is immune. If your child is excluded from school for head lice, treatment with a special medicated shampoo and removal of all live lice are necessary before the student can be readmitted to school. Every family member should be examined, and to avoid re-infestation, it is also important to clean your child's home environment. One day of excused absence will be allowed for each occurrence of lice infestation, not to exceed five (5) days for reoccurring incidents during the school year. Students having persistent problems will be referred to the county attendance office or other authorities.
Immunization Requirements
Ohio has mandated certain vaccinations as a requirement for school attendance, as stated in the Ohio Revised Code 3313.671. Written records of immunizations must be submitted to the school nurse before the start of every school year to comply with state law. Failure to meet vaccination deadlines and failure to provide documentation that meets the Ohio Department of Health’s (ODH) approval could result in exclusion from school. Missed days for student exclusion will be counted as unexcused. Please bring, send, or fax the updated copy of your child's shot records to school at 740-354-6105, with attention School Nurse. Do not procrastinate getting your child's required immunizations as doctor appointments will fill up fast in August.
Immunization requirements for school-age children were updated by the ODH in the 2016-2017 school year. Please note the changes below:
For children entering seventh grade, 1 dose of meningococcal vaccine (MCV4) and Tdap (booster) must be administered PRIOR to entry.
For those entering 12th grade, two doses of meningococcal vaccine must be administered PRIOR to entry, unless the first dose was given after the 16th birthday.
The flu vaccine is not required but is highly recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention yearly, by the end of October, if possible.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding immunizations, please contact the School Nurse by email, shafferb@claylocalschools.org, by a phone call at 740-354-6644 Ext. 602, or by a scheduled visit.
For more information
Tables showing recommendations for a child or adolescent, ages 18 years or younger.
Why Vaccinate? "On-time vaccination throughout childhood is essential because it helps provide immunity before children are exposed to potentially life-threatening diseases. Vaccines are tested to ensure they are safe and effective for children to receive at the recommended ages."