Clinic Guidelines

Clinic

Parents and guardians have the primary responsibility for the health and well-being of their children. School health services supplement, rather than substitute, for parental care and concern for the health of the student.

General Information

A full time Registered Nurse staffs Our Lady of Lourdes clinic. The nurse adheres to the Virginia Health Professionals requirements and Diocesan policies regarding communicable diseases, blood borne pathogens, accidents, first aid, illness, administration of medication, chronic medical conditions, and school clinics.

The nurse maintains school health records, communicates to the school community as necessary regarding special health concerns, performs routine health screening episodic (i.e. head lice), and administers medication ordered by a physician and/or OTC medication per the clinic policy and first aid.

Parents are to inform the school of any serious ailment and/or health problem on a yearly basis on the Diocesan Permission form and Emergency Care Form. If there is a concern about a child’s health or physical condition, the school has a right to request written information from the child’s doctor. Students with chronic medical conditions may require care during the school day. Parents should meet with the teacher and school nurse to see if the student’s needs may be best met.

If a child cannot participate in a physical education class, a note is required from a physician stating the reason why participation is not advised.  An end date for participation suspension in physical education class must also be provided as part of this note. If a child cannot participate in outdoor recess for two or more days, a note from a physician is required.  If a student requires crutches, a wheelchair, or other health aide, this must be ordered by a physician with a plan of care and length of time the health aide is necessary.

Accidents and First Aid

The parents of an injured student will be notified of the accident/injury/illness by the School Nurse, Principal/administration or the principal/administration's designee as soon as reasonably possible, taking into consideration such factors as the apparent severity of the accident/injury and the priority of providing assistance to the student. For minor injuries, an electronic copy of the clinic note will be emailed to the parent(s) of the student. Injuries/situations above what a reasonable person would consider minor, a phone call will also be placed to the parent(s). 

If an incident results in a medical condition or injury which can be reasonably known to the appropriate supervisory faculty/staff member and/or the principal, the school and/or its staff are authorized to render reasonable basic first aid if such direct medical assistance would, in the opinion of the school, serve to minimize the severity of the injured person's condition. In addition, staff may secure professional diagnosis and/or treatment if such action, in the opinion of the school, appears to be reasonably warranted.

Illness

Our Lady of Lourdes provides a clinic/office or comfortable space, apart from the student population, where children who become ill or injured can be cared for following Virginia Guidelines for Healthcare Procedures in School, 2017 edition

Children with fevers, contagious or infectious diseases will be sent home promptly and excluded from school while in that condition, per Virginia Department of Health regulations.  Parents will be notified if their student is sick or injured by phone and need to leave school. Family emergency contacts will be notified if the parent cannot be reached. Sick or injured students are expected to be picked up within a hour of notification of illness or injury.  Parents are encouraged to maintain an emergency back-up plan in case a child needs to be retrieved from school due to sudden illness or injury. Once the student is confirmed to be free of communicable illness by a healthcare provider or is fever free/symptom free for 24 hours without taking anti-fever medications, the student may return school, after school and extracurricular activities.

When a student is requesting a waiver from participating in Physical Education classes and/or recess, parents are required to submit a written statement from their child’s physician which states any activity restrictions with regard to participation in Physical Education classes and/or recess. The statement is expected to include a specific time frame for the activity restrictions.

Medication Administration Overview

Detailed, Our Lady of Lourdes Medication Policies and Procedures can be accessed through the School Nurse website, Renweb. and in the school clinic.

All school clinic, administrators and staff (MAT) are required to administer medication within the framework of the procedures outlined in the OLL policy and summarized here.

All prescription and over the counter (OTC) medications may be administered during the school day under the following conditions:

1. When the need for administration of medicines during school hours has been confirmed by the school nurse/health assistant (or the school administration);

2. After the first dose of any medication has been given at home;

3. When the parent/guardian provides and transports the medication to and from school and the medication is given directly to the school nurse/health assistant or a senior member of the school administration;

4. When there is a health care provider’s written order signed by the parent/guardian requesting the school to administer medication or to permit the student to self-administer the medication and as approved by the School Nurse/ Principal. 

5. When the medication is brought to the school in its original container stating the name of the student, the dosage and method of administration prescribed by a physician. It is the parent’s or guardian’s responsibility to notify the school of any changes to the original prescription. The new prescription must also be brought to the school in the original container as stated above.

6. When the appropriate medication authorization form has been completed, signed and accompanies the medication.

7. For any medication, parents must document the number of tablets or dosages to be secured for administration by authorized school personnel. If tablets are to be divided, the parent or guardian is responsible for dividing the tablets in order to achieve their child’s proper dosage or may supply school with a pill cutter to be left at school.

8. All OTC and prescription medications are to be kept locked in the clinic/school office and be administered by the school nurse, clinic aide, principal or trained designee. No student is to carry/possess medications, without appropriate medical authorization. No medication will be administered unless the school has received a signed copy of the Medication Authorization Form. OTC medications do not require a health care provider’s signature unless the medication is required for five or more consecutive days.

It shall be the student’s responsibility to come to the clinic/school office at the appropriate time for medication unless a health care provider or parent indicates in writing that the student cannot do this.

Students are NOT permitted to self-medicate. The school does not assume responsibility for medications taken independently by the student. Exceptions may be made on a case by case basis for students who demonstrate the capability to carry and self-administer emergency lifesaving medications (e.g. inhaler, Epi-pen) and Insulin.

Within one week after expiration of the effective date on the order, or on the last day of school, the parent/guardian must personally collect any unused portion of the medication. Medications not claimed within that period will be destroyed.

Specialized Student Care Needs

The parent of any student on a continuing regimen for a non-episodic condition shall inform the school principal/administration and identify in writing the student's supervising health care provider. If necessary, and with parental written consent, there may be occasions when the school needs to communicate with the health care provider regarding possible effects on the pupil's health care management, special emergency procedures or behavior at school.

Risk Reduction

Life Threatening Allergies

The Our Lady of Lourdes of Catholic School, Life Threatening Allergy Management Policy, aims to minimize the risk of student exposure to known allergens during the school day.  Our Lady of Lourdes School will provide an annual in-service for school faculty and staff on “life threatening allergies”. Training will include minimizing the risk of exposure to life threatening allergens in the school setting as well as anaphylaxis recognition, medical management and incident reporting.

Parents and guardians of students with a life threatening allergy must inform principal/ school health personnel of any allergies and provide the school with fully executed Our Lady of Lourdes documents, including but not limited to; allergy action plans, medication administration forms, inhaler administration forms and Epinephrine Administration orders.  No student will be able to begin school on the first day without necessary medication to treat life-threatening conditions such as asthma, allergies, diabetes, and other such conditions.

Parents/guardians are expected to supply schools with any emergency medications as prescribed and may additionally provide the student with “safe” foods for classroom celebrations involving food. The school will formulate an emergency care plan for the student and will share this care plan with those involved with the student including, but not limited to teacher(s), food service, bus driver, and ancillary staff as needed.

School environments present the opportunity for allergen exposures. There are no cures for life threatening allergies. Policies for total exclusion of allergens are not feasible and are difficult to enforce. Because protecting a student from exposure is the key to preventing life-threatening reactions, Our Lady of Lourdes shall adhere to the following policies to protect students from allergen exposure throughout the school day, including but not limited to:

1. Art and science projects 

2. Class food preparation 

3. In the cafeteria/lunch room setting and during in class snack time (allergen free tables and no food sharing) which can be waived by a legal guardian

4. During/before and after school programs 

5. On school transportation 

6. When appropriate, strategies specific to the unique needs of students with life threatening allergies, i.e. foods, insects, medications and latex.

Peanut and Nut Allergy Classroom Policy

With the increasing number of peanut/tree nut allergic students and the dire consequences these allergies can cause, we are taking progressive steps to decrease the risk of exposure for the safety of our students. We therefore have a “NO PEANUTS/ NO TREE NUTS FOR SNACK” policy in our school. This means that students, staff, and anyone else entering Our Lady of Lourdes will not bring ANYTHING into the building that contains peanuts or tree nuts (almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts/filberts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts/pignolias, pistachios, walnuts, etc.) to be eaten during the snack period or at any time in any classroom including during celebrations. 

We feel that this policy will greatly reduce the risk of surfaces in the classroom being contaminated with nut residues. We appreciate your diligence in upholding our “No Peanut/ No Tree Nut for Snack” policy. While we cannot absolutely ensure that classrooms will be 100% peanut free/nut free, we will drastically reduce the risk of a child coming into contact with nuts/peanuts, in the classroom. We will continue our efforts to educate the students about food allergies and ways to keep their friends safe.  Students may have peanut or tree nut foods at lunch in the lunchroom. A “nut-free” table is available in each lunchroom for the safety of those with allergies. 

Infectious/Communicable Diseases

Parents must notify the school within 24 hours if their child or any member of the immediate household has developed a communicable disease. Parents must notify the school immediately if the disease is life threatening. Parents must pick up their sick or injured child in a timely manner when contacted (within an hour). If the parent cannot be reached, emergency contacts will be called to pick up the child.

Medical Excuses

Children who are ill in the morning are to remain at home. A student with a fever of 100 degrees or greater is to be kept home until his/her temperature has been normal for 24 hours, without the help of medications. The school nurse will notify parents when a signature of a doctor is required for admission to class.

The protection and welfare of each individual student is of importance at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School. In an effort to enhance protection of students:

1. No daycare/preschool, elementary, middle or secondary school student may attend class without documentary proof of adequate immunization in accordance with Virginia Department of Health’s school entry requirements (or modified schedule as approved by licensed health care provider) on the Virginia School Entrance Health Form.

   1. Parents or guardians who object to the administration of immunizing agents for their child on the grounds that this conflicts with their religious tenets or practices must produce a notarized Certificate of Religious Exemption CRE-1 form, which will be retained in the student health record.

   2. Students who have traveled or resided in a foreign country for five months or more during the last three years are required to provide documentation of a recent tuberculosis skin test result prior to school entry.

2. Students with fevers and/or contagious or infectious diseases will be sent home promptly and will be excluded from school while in that condition, according to Virginia Department of Health regulations. Once the student is confirmed to be free of communicable illness by a health care provider or is fever free/symptom free for 24 hours without taking anti-fever medications, the student may return to school.

3. School health personnel will follow the Virginia Department of Health Communicable Disease Chart, when referring suspected cases of communicable disease to the local health department for excluding or readmitting a student.

4. The liability associated with the vaccination of children is great. Our Lady of Lourdes does not provide school based vaccination clinics, for children during school hours and in the absence of the parent.

Lice

Students diagnosed with live head lice do not need to be sent home early from school; they can go home at the end of the day, be treated, and return to class after appropriate treatment has begun. Nits may persist after treatment, but successful treatment should kill crawling lice.

Head lice can be a nuisance but they have not been shown to spread disease. Personal hygiene or cleanliness in the home or school has nothing to do with getting head lice.

Both the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) advocate that “no-nit” policies should be discontinued. “No-nit” policies that require a child to be free of nits before they can return to schools should be discontinued for the following reasons:

• Many nits are more than ¼ inch from the scalp. Such nits are usually not viable and very unlikely to hatch to become crawling lice, or may in fact be empty shells, also known as ‘casings’.

• Nits are cemented to hair shafts and are very unlikely to be transferred successfully to other people.

• The burden of unnecessary absenteeism to the students, families and communities far outweighs the risks associated with head lice.

• Misdiagnosis of nits is very common during nit checks conducted by nonmedical personnel.

Students may be periodically checked for head lice, if a case is suspected. Once lice are suspected/detected, a telephone call will be made to the parents to inform them of needed treatment. Students with longer hair will have their hair pulled back with a hair tie. 

Bloodborne Diseases

The Christian community is called to respond to the sick in our midst with compassion and justice. The diocese recognizes its obligation to protect the rights of individual students infected with Hepatitis and HIV to provide a safe environment for students, staff members and the public.

Students who are infected with bloodborne Hepatitis, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) or HIV-related conditions must be provided the opportunity to receive a Catholic school education in a regular classroom unless the student's health interferes significantly with school performance.

Since it is known that bloodborne Hepatitis and HIV are not transmitted through casual contact, any student who is infected will continue education in a regular classroom assignment unless his or her health status requires otherwise. It is the intent OLL Catholic School to follow the recommendations of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Virginia Department of Health which state that, most bloodborne Hepatitis and HIV-infected children be allowed to attend school in an unrestricted setting, and that decisions regarding school attendance be based on the medical condition of each child and the expected type of interaction with others in that setting.

Persons involved in the implementation and monitoring of this policy shall maintain confidentiality of records in compliance with federal and state law and diocesan policy. OLL maintains a program of information and training for school staff members to ensure a consistent and accurate understanding regarding prevention of exposure to bloodborne pathogens. This includes training related to the proper application of universal/standard precautions.

Accessing Your Child's School Medical Record

To view your child's medical record, first log into Facts. In the left column under student, click on medical. Here you can view general information about the student, medical conditions listed, allergies listed, vaccines on file, prescription and over-the-counter medications, and medical events. If there is any information which you feel needs to be added, modified, or corrected, please contact the front office or clinic.