Welcome to the Garwood Public Schools Nurse's Site! We’ve developed this site to provide you with relevant health and wellness information vital to your child’s well-being, and for easy access to download important forms used in the delivery of healthcare for your child.

Ms. Karen Lukacovic, RN,  908-789-0331 Ext. 2103

For all new parents to the district as well as returning parents, we’d like to review when it’s advisable to keep your child at home.

Is your child too sick for school?

What should you do if it’s almost time to send your child to school, but they say they’re not feeling too well? Please use these guidelines to decide if you should keep your child home from school?

Remember, to contact your physician if needed:

• A temperature over 100.0 F. Take your child’s temperature before giving fever-reducing medicine, such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen, for an accurate reading.

• Episodes of vomiting and/or diarrhea within the past 24 hours.

• A persistent cough that keeps a child awake at night, worsens with increased activity, is distracting to the classroom.

• A persistent red sore throat, especially if the tonsils are enlarged. Consider seeing your child’s physician for a culture of the throat, to rule out a streptococcal infection which requires antibiotics.

• Skin rash- Rash of undetermined origin or determined contagious by your child’s physician.

• A severe and persistent earache.

• Redness in the whites of the eyes (scalera), with yellow or pus eye discharge, & matted lashes upon awakening are symptoms of conjunctivitis (pinkeye). A doctor should be consulted for treatment. Bacterial conjunctivitis is highly contagious.

• If your child has a rash all over their body, or if the rash is blistery, oozing, or painful, it could be a sign of a contagious infection, such as chicken pox and must be seen by an MD to return to school. 

*Children must be symptom free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication, before returning to school.

Please consider checking with your child’s doctor or the school nurse before you send your child to school if still unsure.

Medication Policy

The Garwood Board of Education policy on the administration of medications in schools states that medications to be administered in school by the school nurse or substitute registered nurse, must be accompanied by a written medication order by a licensed physician or advanced practice nurse, along with written permission from a parent/guardian, delivered to the school by the parent/guardian in the original container with the permission form. Nurses are not permitted to dispense any medication, prescription or over the counter without a written authorization. You can access the form on the link above. Please be sure to fill in the top section of the form & sign, and have your physician fill out the second part of the form. Return the completed form with the medication in the original container to the health office. Please note: this is mandatory by state law for both prescription & over-the-counter medications.

School Nurse Auth For Admin of Meds

Medication Authorization Form

Emergency Contact Information

A large portion of our day involves providing first aid or care to children feeling ill in the school setting. Please remember to notify the school as soon as your emergency contact information changes, i.e. home, business, and cell phone numbers. When a child is ill or hurt, we want to be able to notify you promptly.  Please make yourself or a designated contact person available to promptly pick up your sick/injured child within 1 hour of phone notification. 

Daily Absences

Please note- You must call your child’s absence in daily to the attendance number for their school. Please state your child’s name, grade homeroom teacher & reason for absence.  You may provide an MD note upon return to be noted on the attendance records, however, keep in mind this does not excuse your child as per state guidelines.  All absences are counted as cumulative. 

Health Screenings

Recent modifications to the New Jersey Department of Education Administrative Code [6A:16-2.1 through 16.25] delineates the general provisions for school health services. All children are screened for height, weight and blood pressure annually. Vision screening is conducted biennially for students in kindergarten through grade 8. Auditory acuity screenings are conducted for all students in kindergarten through grade 3.. Scoliosis screening is conducted biennially for students in grades 5 and 7. If your think your child is experiencing difficulties with vision or hearing, and they are not in the grade normally screened, you may notify your school nurse requesting a screening for your child.

Asthma

If your child has a history of asthma, we would like to ensure we are prepared for a possible asthma emergency while in school. We can do this by establishing a partnership between your child & you, the school nurse & the physician. The Asthma Action Plan, which is required by law, provides the school nurse with vital emergency & medical information necessary to help your child in an emergency. You can download a copy of this form here. Please have this filled out by your child’s physician, and remember to sign the bottom for parental authorization to administer the medication, & return this form, along with your child’s rescue inhaler, in it’s original container, to the health office.

The Asthma Action Plan, along with other valuable information on asthma, can be accessed at:  https://www.asthmacommunitynetwork.org/node/1728 

Asthma Action Plan

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Medical Form For PK to 5 Grades

Medical Form For 6 to 8 Grades