THES Health Office
Meghan Marrone BSN, RN, NCSN
Phone: 978-582-4110 - press option 4, or Ext. 502
School Fax: 978-582-4109
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Emergency forms are now completed online and sent electronically! Please complete this for your child every year. You can find the form here. Note: It is recommended that you complete this form on a computer and be aware that it can only be completed in one sitting.
Medication Policy and Procedure
All medication dispensed at school must be accompanied by the medication order form, completed by the prescriber and signed authorization by the parent/guardian.
All medication orders must be renewed as needed and at the beginning of each school year.
All medication must be delivered to the school nurse by the parent or responsible adult whom you designate, in a pharmacy or manufacturer-labeled container. Please ask your pharmacy to provide separate bottles for school and home. No more than a thirty day supply of the medicine should be delivered to the school.
Any over the counter medication will require a doctor’s order and written parent/guardian permission to be on file prior to being administered.
Children are not permitted to carry prescription, non-emergency medications.
THES Medication Forms
Fare Allergy Action Plan - English
General Guidelines for School Attendance
Please call the health office before sending your child to school if you have any questions or need help determining whether your child is well-enough to attend school.
Health Protocols for Illness
Please keep your child home from school if they display any of the following symptoms:
Fever of 100 degrees or more, and until the child has had a normal temperature for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications.
Vomiting or diarrhea within the last 24 hours
Uncontrollable or severe cough
Rash of unknown cause
Signs of infection of the eyes, ears, nose, throat, skin or scalp.
Please follow these guidelines when determining whether or not your child is ready to return to school after having been sick.
Temperature must be normal for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications.
At least 24 hours after intestinal illness has resolved- no more vomiting or diarrhea.
Improvement or treatment of cough following primary care provider instructions
Improvement or treatment of rash following primary care provider instructions
Treatment for infection following primary care provider instructions for return to school.
Please remember, though your student may meet the above criteria, they may not have the energy level for return to school and full day of activity.
If your child becomes ill at school, you will be called to take them home. We understand the difficulties of working parents and ask that you make sure you are prepared for this possibility. Waiting for hours in the Health Office is very difficult for children who are not well. Current phone numbers and email addresses are essential to facilitate prompt communication with families. Families need to provide the school with reliable emergency contacts, indicating individuals who will be able to come to the school and pick up their child if they become sick during the school day. Please update and submit an Emergency Medical Form for each child, every school year. Dismissing sick children in a timely fashion is imperative for the safety of all.
Lunenburg Public Schools
COVID-19
2023-2024 School Year
DESE Guidance
With COVID-19 vaccines now readily available, treatments accessible to those at higher risk for severe disease, and widespread availability of self-tests, DESE and DPH have continued to evolve our support for schools in collaboration with the medical community and in line with the most recent CDC guidance issued August 11, 2022. This upcoming school year, districts and schools should focus their COVID mitigation strategies towards vulnerable and symptomatic individuals.
The Commonwealth is not recommending universal mask requirements, surveillance testing of asymptomatic individuals, contact tracing, or test-to-stay testing in schools. Districts and schools are reminded that there is no longer any statewide masking mandate in schools (other than school health offices) and there is no testing requirement for schools.
Isolation and Exposure Precautions
Effective August 15, 2022, all students and staff in childcare, school in grades K-12, or participating in out-of-school time (OST) and recreational camp settings should follow the updated isolation and exposure guidance issued by DPH, in alignment with recently issued guidance from CDC. No asymptomatic person should be excluded from school as a result of exposure, regardless of vaccination status or exposure setting.
As a reminder, contact tracing is no longer recommended statewide in K-12 schools.
Please continue to monitor for any signs of illness, including COVID-19, and consult with your child’s primary care provider, as needed.
Lunenburg Public Schools will continue to consult with the Nashoba Associated Boards of Health, as needed.
COVID Management
Please keep your child home from school and get them tested for COVID using an At Home Antigen test for any of the following symptoms:
Fever (100.0° Fahrenheit or higher), chills, or shaking chills
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
New loss of taste or smell
Muscle aches or body aches
Cough (not due to other known cause, such as chronic cough)
Sore throat, when in combination with other symptoms
Nausea, vomiting, when in combination with other symptoms
Headache, when in combination with other symptoms
Fatigue, when in combination with other symptoms
Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as allergies), when in combination with other symptoms
If your child has symptoms of COVID (see above), they must have a negative test in order to come to school.
COVID Guidance
Massachusetts Department of Public Health guidance updated August 15, 2022
COVID Positive
Duration: Students who test positive must isolate for at least 5 days. To count days for isolation, Day 0 is the first day of symptoms OR the day the day positive test was taken, whichever is earlier.
Return to School: If they are asymptomatic or symptoms are resolving and they have been fever free for 24 hours, they may return to school after Day 5, provided:
If the student is able to mask, they must do so through Day 10.
If the student is unable to mask, they must have a negative test on Day 5 or later in order to return to school prior to day 11.
A rapid antigen test, such as a self-test, is preferred to a PCR test in most situations for the purposes of exiting isolation or quarantine.
COVID Exposure
If your child was exposed to COVID-19, MA DPH recommends that they take precautions to prevent spread, which includes:
Masking indoors when around others for days 1-10.
Watch for symptoms and do a home test if symptoms develop.
Test on day 6 if still asymptomatic. If positive at any point, follow our positive protocol.
Influenza (Flu)
Flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and sometimes the lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. The best way to prevent flu is by getting a flu vaccine each year.
Flu Symptoms
Influenza (flu) can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. Flu symptoms usually come on suddenly. People who have flu often feel some or all of these symptoms:
fever* or feeling feverish/chills
cough
sore throat
runny or stuffy nose
muscle or body aches
headaches
fatigue (tiredness)
some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults.
*It’s important to note that not everyone with flu will have a fever.
DPH Mandated Screenings
Grade 3- Vision & Hearing (Starting 9/26/23)
Grade 4- Vision & BMI (height/weight) (Starting 9/26/23)
Grade 5- Vision (Starting October 2023) & Postural (April 2024)
*** Parents/Guardians can opt their student out of any screenings. Please send me an email, if you want to opt your child out.***
Bright Eyed
Lunenburg Public Schools has partnered with Bright Eyed to provide food and hygiene kits. Care kits are discreetly distributed to students at the end of each week. The program also continues throughout the summer, where care kits can be picked up by, or delivered to families. If your family is in need of food and other essentials, please contact me at the health office. For more information, you can check out Bright Eyed here.