*Effective communication between the Health Office and parents is extremely important in order to help your child in the event of an illness or injury. You may leave a message any time (24/7) with any information we need to be aware of regarding your child.   We are better able to care for your child if we have the specific information available.   Also, please make sure the home phone, work and cell numbers in the parent portal of School Brains are the most recent and up to date.  

*Reporting an absence to the Main Office

Please call #781-581-1600 to report your child absent.  All calls must be in by 8:15 am each day your child will not be in school. You may leave a message if your child is sick or injured and the secretary will forward this to the Health Office. Please note your child's symptoms on the recording if they are ill with a fever or other contagious illness.  This will allow us to track multiple illnesses in a classroom or in a group of students and inform parents if a classroom is has a particular concern.

Several students in the Johnson School have Life Threatening Allergies to peanuts, nut products and other types of food. Strict avoidance of the allergen is the only way to prevent a life-threatening allergic reaction.  We need your assistance in providing these students with a safe learning environment.  We need each classroom, regardless of whether there is a student with an allergy in that class, to follow the Peanut/Nut protocol.  It could be life-threatening if one of these children were to inadvertently consume or come in contact with even a tiny amount of peanut/nut product or other allergen.  (This includes food products with labels stating “may contain nut products” or “processed in a facility” which may contain nut products) 

If you are sending in a pre-packaged food item, read the food label for any nut products before packing it in their snack or lunch bag.  If you are sending individual food items in a Zip-Lock “baggie”, be sure to check the food label prior to packing. Individual items in “baggies” pose the most challenge for our teachers and your child may be asked to save the item for consumption at home if it appears to be a nut product. You can avoid this if you mark the baggie with “no nuts” with a sharpie/pen or put a note in their bag showing that the items were indeed checked for nut products and are ok to consume in the classroom.  In the interest of safety, all students will be discouraged from sharing food in the classroom or cafeteria. 

Learn more about Food allergies and how to give an Epinephrine injection if needed. 

www.allergyhome.org is a website created to increase food allergy awareness in the school community. It highlights basic facts about food allergies and the constant need for prevention and preparedness.  There are great videos and other resources to help increase your understanding of Life Threatening Food Allergies. 

Dismissals by the Nurse

Parents/Guardians will receive a call from the nurse to dismiss a child with signs of illness or symptoms of COVID 19 per DESE guidelines.  Parents/Guardians should make arrangements ahead of time with their emergency contacts in case it is necessary for their child to be picked up from school due to an illness within 30-60 minutes of being contacted.  

 Influenza vaccine is always important to receive to reduce the risk of getting sick with influenza, reduce the severity of disease if one does get sick due to influenza, as well as preventing the spread of influenza to others.  During the COVID 19 pandemic, influenza vaccine will be especially critical to reduce the overall impact of respiratory illness on the population, protect the most vulnerable populations from severe illness, and decrease the overall burden on the healthcare system.  

Physical Exams, Immunizations and School Health Screenings:

The requirements for physical examination of students states that an in-person physical exam is required for students entering school for the first time (typically PK or K) and this should be conducted one year before or within 90 days of school start.  A student who is transferring from another school system shall follow the guidelines for students entering school for the first time.  For students entering  grade 4, the physical exam is required and may be conducted in the prior school year or  120 days of school start.  Pre-School students must submit a physical exam each year until the 5 year old exam that is required for Kindergarten Registration. 

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-public-health-guidance-and-directives  

Annual School based health screenings for Vision, Hearing, Height and Weight and Postural screening remain suspended per the MDPH Order issued on April 28, 2020.  The MDPH will provide guidance for resuming health screenings. 

• National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255                    

• Nacional de Prevención del Suicido: 1-888-628-9454

• Boston Emergency Services Team (BEST team): 1-800-981-4357

• Parent Stress Line (Multiple languages available): 1-800-632-8188 

• Call 911 if you feel that you or your child is at imminent risk

• Child-at-Risk Hotline (Call to report child abuse and neglect): 800-792-5200 

• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) 

Protect the Ones You Love!   Childhood injuries are preventable.  

Injuries are the leading cause of death in children ages 19 and younger. But most child injuries can be prevented.  Parents and caregivers can play a life-saving role in protecting children from injuries.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), unintentional injuries—such as those caused by burns, drowning, falls, poisoning and road traffic—are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children in the United States.  Each year, among those 0 to 19 years of age, more than 12,000 people die from unintentional injuries and more than 9.2 million are treated in emergency departments for nonfatal injuries.   Injuries due to transportation were the leading cause of death for children.  Injuries due to falls were the leading cause of nonfatal injury.  Click HERE to go to CDC website about preventing childhood injuries.  

Keeping your child healthy and safe is always a top priority!  This information will help you recognize, respond to, and minimize the risk of concussion or other serious brain injury.  Parents often call with many questions about "What is a concussion?" and "How can I tell if my child has a concussion?"  The CDC has great resources for parents and schools.  

CDC website Heads Up To Parents to learn all you want to know about concussions!

CDC Fact Sheet for Parents- This sheet has information to help protect your children from concussion or other serious brain injury.

Meningococcal Disease

At first, Meningococcal disease can look strikingly similar to a cold or flu, but in just a matter of hours it can be deadly.  Consider Vaccinating your child against Meningococcal Disease.   Read the commonly asked questions about the disease and find out more information.  Talk to your child's physician about the vaccination at your next visit.  

Measles Information:

{Information is obtained from the CDC website and literature distributed by the CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical sources}  

Link to CDC/AAP guidance handout for parents

Links to CDC website for measles information and symptoms

Link to CDC information for parents: "Measles and the Vaccine (shot) to Prevent it"

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a virus. It spreads through the air through coughing and sneezing. Measles starts with a fever, runny nose, cough, red and watery eyes (conjunctivitis), and a sore throat. It is followed by a rash that starts at the head and then spreads down over the rest of the body.  The fever can persist, reaching extremely high temperatures, the rash can last for up to a week, and the cough can last about 10 days.  About three out of 10 people who get measles will develop one or more complications including pneumonia.

The symptoms of measles generally appear about 7 to 14 days after a person is infected.  Two or three days after symptoms begin, tiny white spots (Koplik spots) may appear inside the mouth and on palate. Three to five days after symptoms begin, a rash breaks out. It usually begins as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline and spread downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs, and feet. Small raised bumps may also appear on top of the flat red spots. The spots may become joined together as they spread from the head to the rest of the body. When the rash appears, a person’s fever may spike to more than 104° Fahrenheit.  After a few days, the fever subsides and the rash fades.  There is no drug to cure measles.

How Measles Spreads:

Measles spreads through the air by airborne respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It is so contagious that if one person has it, 90% of the people around him or her will also become infected if they are not protected. Infected people can spread measles to others from 4 days before to 4 days after the rash appears. The virus remains viable for up to 2 hour on surfaces and in the air.  You can catch measles just by being in a room where a person with measles has been, even if the person has gone! 

People in the United States still get measles, but it's not very common. That's because most people in this country are protected against measles through vaccination once they reach 12 months of age. However, since measles is still common in parts of Europe, Asia, the Pacific, and Africa, measles is brought into the United States by people who get infected while they are abroad.

Vaccine Recommendations:

Click here for CDC vaccination recommendations

The MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) Vaccine is the best way to protect against getting measles.  The risk of the MMR vaccine causing serious side effects is very rare.   Getting the MMR vaccine is much safer than getting measles!!

The CDC recommends all children get two doses of MMR vaccine, starting with the first dose at 12 through 15 months of age, and the second dose at 4 through 6 years of age. Children can receive the second dose earlier as long as it is at least 28 days after the first dose.  

Tick-Borne Illnesses and Lyme Disease:

How can you protect yourself from Ticks?

Check out the CDC's website for valuable information about Ticks. Prevention and Tick-borne illnesses.  

Lyme Disease information:

Lyme Disease Association website has great information about Lyme disease, symptoms, other tick-borne diseases, removing ticks properly and much more!  

Click HERE to view a Lyme disease symptom list

Click HERE to view the ABCs of Lyme disease

EEE and West Nile Virus:

We are reminded to be vigilant about protecting ourselves from mosquitoes, EEE, and West Nile virus.   

All residents are urged to continue taking personal precautions to protect against mosquito-borne illnesses, including Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile Virus (WNV).  These include using insect repellent, covering exposed skin when outside, and avoiding outdoor activities between the hours of dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active.  If weather permits, wear long-sleeves, long pants, and socks if outside event for a short time during peak active times for mosquitoes.  

Choosing an Effective Repellent:

When choosing a repellent, look at the active ingredient on the product label. Repellents that contain DEET work very well against mosquitoes.  In general, higher concentrations of DEET don't work better, they simply last longer.  You should use less than 30 percent DEET on kids and infants over 2 months of age.  Whatever product you choose, be sure to read the label to see what the concentration of DEET is and how often it should be reapplied.  

Learn more about how to protect yourself at Mass.gov website.